Tag: Reuse

Powder made from pineapple waste is a superfood for fish. Forget salmon or beef tenderloin: pets can get all the nutrients they need from soldier fly larvae. And so can livestock. Up until now soldier fly larvae have been predominantly reared on starchy chicken feed. Still, thought a Danish research team, why not experiment with an organic waste product...

Peat fires can be quickly extinguished using natural surfactants. A magnetic sponge, meanwhile, could help clean oil slicks in the ocean. Recycled hair, it transpires, could do the job too. That’s thanks to the work of a female founder from Kiel, who knows how good hair is at absorbing oil and pollutants. Once her startup has collected hair waste...

Home food waste can be sent off to make chicken feed. But what about unused paint in cellars and garages? In the US alone, around 320 million litres of paint each year end up being incinerated, or worse, thrown in the garbage. Not good enough, thought founders of a Michigan-based startup and developed a new recycling process. Unused latex...

Insoles from mushroom spores keep our feet healthy in all weathers. A shoe made by a German startup, meanwhile, is destined to benefit both our budget and closet space. The foundation resembles a thick sneaker sock with a rubber base, the accompanying soles are interchangeable. Slip them off at home to create slippers, and back on to go about...

Balancing cloud usage can keep emissions and energy costs at bay. Meanwhile, an English startup is aiming to reduce both in public swimming pools by building data centres near the baths and using their thermal discharge to heat the water. All that’s required is a digital boiler. The startup bears the costs for the electricity as well as the...

Malleable metal tyres are a revelation. Now a startup from London has developed a patent-pending system which aims to prevent tyre wear from entering the environment. The microplastic pollutants are produced when vehicles accelerate and brake. Using electrostatics and airflow, particles charged from friction with the road are diverted to containers beneath the rear bumper. Captured pollution can be...

Insoles made using mushroom spores are great for feet and the environment. Now, Israeli students have produced an insulation material from mushroom cells that grow abundantly under the soil. The lightweight material is made from mycelium and rapeseed straw that has been recovered from agricultural waste. Then, the cultured fibre networks can be heated and pressed into blocks. The...

Old plastic bottles can be made into tiny houses, but it's better to dispense with single-use plastic altogether. A schoolgirl from the UAE encouraged 314 pupils from 7th grade to do just that. Her method? Individual barcodes for those with returnable bottles. These were scanned at the start of the school day, creating data sets about pupils’ habits. Leaderboards...