Reduce waste. Managing/preventing the production of surplus or excess materials.
Fibre From Familiar Fruit Bananas are the most common fruit consumed worldwide. In 2019, the banana export market produced 21 million tonnes of fruit. This is less than 20% of the total global banana production market. A majority of bananas produced globally are not for export but for in-country consumption. The banana plant has a…
Reforming waste. How can we retrieve valuable materials from e-waste and multi-component materials in rural and remote locations? All Recycling Is Local We make significant efforts to know where our food is coming from. Is it not time we knew where all our waste goes? In January 2018, China implemented a ban on the import…
Curitiba City, Brazil Curitiba City is the capital city of Paraná state, in south-east Brazil. The city has a population of approximately 1.95 million. Around 3.7 million people live in Curitiba’s metropolitan area. With over 80 million m² of preserved green area, this is equivalent to 41m² of green space per city resident. Curitiba is…
Sustainable Grass Bamboo are the fastest growing plants on earth. They utilise unique rhizome (underground stems) to self-multiply. This allows some species of bamboo to grow up to 0.91m or 3 feet in one day. Due to its fast growth, bamboo is a useful construction material. Engineered bamboo is created from the laminated and treated…
Marine Debris Every year, global production of plastic is rising. In 2019, the amount of plastic produced globally was approximately 368 million tonnes. This is 9 million tonnes more than in 2018. In our article Floating Island of Plastic Waste, we discussed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is 1.6 million square kilometres or three…
At Viable AlternativEnergy “green” (sustainable/ recyclable/ alternative) projects, products and ideas “give us life”. People who create and design new products with these concepts in mind inspire us. The annual Green Product Awards look at products designed to support the change towards a green way of living. They choose products for their aspects of design,…
These top articles from Viable AlternativEnergy focus on sustainable, environmental and socially conscious projects, products and ideas. Please join us, as we recap our 7 top articles from 2020. 1. Cubo Modular Bamboo Housing This top article was a favourite with our readers from the Philippines. Cubo, created by Earl Patrick Forlales is a modern,…
In 2018, “What a Waste 2.0” the Urban Development Series produced by the World Bank gave a snapshot of global solid waste management until 2050. Organic waste comprised 56% of the total waste composition for low income countries, from an annual total waste volume of 93MT per year (million tonnes) or 5% of global waste…
Sustainable Waste Management Amager Bakke, also known as CopenHill, brings a sustainable waste management solution to the doorstep of city living. CopenHill is the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world, on the industrial waterfront of Amager, Copenhagen, Denmark. Amager is Denmark’s most densely populated island. The Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant covers 41,000m² and rises to…
Plastic Waste at Sea Marine debris caused by household garbage travels from rivers into seas and oceans. Across the globe, there are five oceanic gyres. It’s estimated that the largest oceanic garbage patch, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 1.6 million square kilometres, three times the size of France or twice the size of Texas….
The average photovoltaic (PV) solar panel has a lifespan of 25 years. Solar panels contain glass, polymers, aluminium, silicon, lead, cadmium, tellurium and gallium. These potentially hazardous materials require specialised waste treatment at the solar panels end-of-life. In 2016, the International Renewable Energy Agency estimated there were 250,000 tonnes of global solar panel waste. In…
Aquaponics symbiotically combines hydroponics and aquaculture. Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants in nutrient-rich water without soil. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic animals such as fish, prawns and snails in tanks. Aquaponics is an alternative farming method for areas where protein-rich foods such as fish are scarce or poor soil quality is a problem….
In 2017, Europe recycled 84.6% of its cardboard and paper packaging. We derive this percentage from the total quantity of recycled packaging waste, divided by the total quantity of generated packaging. The same year, a study by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) states that businesses and consumers discard 10 million tonnes of furniture each year…
Christoph Tochtrop created the Vinson Multi-tool. It’s described as the rotary device for the household. The average household electronic device includes a power source (battery or plug), a motor, the drive, and the controls unit. However, Vinson is an innovative and interchangeable product which takes into consideration practical, eco-friendly methodologies and harmonious design. The essential…
In 2018, Professor Gérard Mourou (École Polytechnique) and Professor Donna Strickland (University of Waterloo) jointly won half of the Nobel Prize in Physics for ground breaking inventions in laser physics. “For their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.” Chirped Pulses Professor Mourou and Strickland’s technique uses Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA), which they initially imagined…
What is Sustainable Art? Sustainable art encompasses a wide range of artistic concepts, everything from thought-provoking environmental critique to studios working with carbon neutral or green footprint objectives. Additionally, using reclaimed materials, eco-friendly methodologies, and restorative practices. The artists below delve into this realm of sustainable, conceptual, eco-art. Contemporary Artists Tan Zi Xi @MessyMsXi (Tan…
A spotlight on 5 independent and sustainable personal care businesses from around the world. Oui the People Every year 2 billion plastic razors end up in the landfill. OUI the People is a zero-waste, sustainable, New York based company. They make safety razors and shaving products for sensitive skin. Furthermore, their shaving cream is refillable…
How are drones used for emergency medical response and disaster relief? Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Electric Autonomous Aircraft (EAA) are commonly known as drones. Humanitarian and commercial applications successfully use drones to assist in emergency response. Medical Drones deliver packages at room temperature and cold chain (between 2-8ºC). Supplies delivered vary from whole blood,…
Edible Cutlery Made From 100% Natural Flours. In 2010, Narayana Peesapathy and Pradnya Keskar founded the company Bakeys in Hyderabad, India. Bakeys was the first company to produce edible cutlery. The baked utensils shaped like spoons, forks and chopsticks made of millet, rice, wheat and water. They come in various flavours varying from plain, savoury and…
A modern modular take on flat-pack construction, Ten Fold Engineering has an innovative design that makes flat-pack housing and construction units desirable and luxurious. The buildings can adapt to need. Therefore, allow a broad range of purpose for a smaller amount of space. The opening and closing movement are powerless. The transition takes place via…
In 1995, Mohammed Bah Abba, a teacher from northern Nigeria, invented the Pot-in-Pot preservation cooling system also known as Zeer pot cold storage. His design consists of five simple items: – two clay pots, sand, water and a cloth cover. By combining these simple items Mohammed produced a cool chamber or refrigerator for desert regions…
Food waste is a global problem. 1.3 billion tonnes or one-third of food produced globally for human consumption is wasted or lost every year. Whether you are the farmer, distributor, seller or consumer, wasted food is expensive. Food waste impacts the climate, water and biodiversity. The “Food Waste and Date Marking” survey by the European…
Is it possible to reuse N95 masks without a reduction of the respirator’s effectiveness? Terminology In this article when I mention reuse, I am using European waste processing terminology. As described in the EU Waste Framework Directive waste management hierarchy. Reuse is the second option after prevention and before recycling. Prevention is the streamlining of the…
Location, Location, Location… Taipei 101 is the tallest sustainable skyscraper in the world, standing at 508m (1,667 ft) and 101 floors. When completed in 2004, this was the tallest building in the world until 2010 when the Burj Khalifa in Dubai surpassed it. The Taipei 101 was originally uncertified as a sustainable build. However, the architectural,…
Earthship Homes use approximately 45 per cent recycled materials. Old tyres, glass bottles and drinks cans are all essential construction materials. Michael Reynolds the inventor and owner of Earthships Biotecture describes the buildings as vessels. “These vessels encounter the phenomena of the earth, to provide sustenance for people.” These vessels do everything for themselves, producing…
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) PPE is any protective garment or equipment designed to protect the wearer’s body from injury or infection. This can include protective clothing, helmets, goggles and dust masks. One of my jobs at a hazardous waste facility in the United Kingdom was to order and stock the company PPE room. During this…
The fashion industry is globally one of the top 10 most polluting industries. Through water pollution during production, chemical addition and dyes, microfibres released during laundry and tumble drying. Furthermore, transportation of goods, insecticide and pesticides through cotton growth and soil degradation. Additionally, stockpiling of unsold and used/ unwanted garments. As well as the effects…
Chewing gum is consumed by millions of people every year. Over £14 billions spent on chewing gums globally. Like Marmite, you may love it or hate it. Singapore has banned its import since 1992. However, over £60 million was spent to clean up Britain’s streets of carelessly disposed of chewing gum in 2018. The mastication…
Cubo modular bamboo housing is the brainchild of Earl Patrick Forlales. Manila, Philippines has a housing problem similar to many other cities around the world. Rapid urbanisation has caused people to migrate from their provinces to the city. Forlales’ vision is a Philippines without slums. Inspired by the traditional “Bahay Kubo”, he aims to provide a…
UBQ is a thermoplastic that can substitute minerals, wood and plastic in thousands of applications. Globally every year, 2 billion tonnes of waste is produced. Approximately 80% of this waste goes to landfills. Food loss and waste contribute 7% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. UBQ Process When all the waste that can be composted,…
BioCellection is an advanced recycling technology company based in California. Globally, only 9% of plastics are recycled. The remaining 91% goes to landfills, incinerators, or ends up in the ocean because of poor waste management practices. There is a huge gap in the market for a company that could close the “plastic life cycle” by…
Precious Plastic Universe (Precious Plastic version 4) launched on Tuesday 7th January 2020. At Viable AlternativEnergy, we’ve been waiting anxiously for this new update since August 2019. With earlier versions of Precious Plastic (version 2 and 3), followers have primarily used the information shared as educational tools or for small-scale projects. A major limitation was…
Viable AlternativEnergy posts focus on environmental and socially conscious projects, products and ideas. Please join us, as we recap our 7 top posts from 2019. 1. Kamikatsu – Japan’s Zero Waste Town The first municipality in Japan to promote a zero-waste policy. Residents sort waste into 45 categories. Kamikatsu municipality managed to recycle 81% of…
LignoLoc compacted beech wooden nails are a sustainable alternative to glue and metal nails. They consists of a magazine of nails, which can be used for industrial or ecological construction projects. The hardness (tensile strength) of these wooden nails are comparable to aluminium nails. Therefore it is possible to drive the nails in with a hammer,…
In 2013, Skipping Rocks Lab start up created Ooho an edible water “bottle”. Ooho’s peelable membrane comprises algae (brown seaweed) mixed with calcium and water. It can hold any kind of liquid. In addition, this membrane containing edible water is compostable and biodegrades in 4 to 6 weeks. Algae is one of nature’s renewable resources…
3D street crossings are a fantastic alternative to conventional speed bumps. This idea has been around for a long time. However the crossings in India by Saumya Pandya Thakkar and Shakuntala Panya have inspired many. Since then several countries have tried out this style of zebra crossing. South Africa, China, New Zealand, Canada, Nigeria and…
The Lumkani fire detector is a heat detector which is not sensitive to smoke. This device rates the rise of temperature. In dense informal settlements, fires spread rapidly. Causing large scale disaster in a short space of time. This device measures how quickly a home gets hot. Therefore rapid rise in room temperature can be detected…
MarinaTex is an alternative to plastic film. It is made from agar from red algae and proteins from fish processing waste. MarinaTex is stronger than LDPE (commonly used in plastic bags) of the same thickness. It is 100% biodegradable in a soil environment and can be composted at home in less than 6 weeks. MarinaTex…
There are now several plants-based sustainable alternatives to leather. We categorise many of these as vegan leather. However, vegan leather was first known as pleather. Furthermore, leather is plastic leather made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PU (polyurethane) or textile-polymer composite microfibres. Let us look at 5 sustainable types of leather. Comprising three products that…
Compost worms primarily consist of red wiggler / tiger, African nightcrawler, Indian blue and Brandling. These worms are powerful allies to organic farmers. They assist farmers with various tasks. such as providing oxygen /aeration to roots of the plants through burrowing. Releasing helpful amino acids which can combat diseases in crops. Furthermore worm waste (vermicast/…
The Reppie Waste to Energy plant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is the first Waste to Energy plant in Africa, completed in February 2018. Reppie Waste-to-Energy Facility. Image: Stuartkribki | CC BY-SA 4.0. | Wikimedia. Reppie is locally known as Koshe (Amharic for dirty). The Koshe dump site in the southeastern part of Addis Ababa and is…
Three environmentally friendly and sustainable methods of producing paints. From recycling old latex paints, to the production of paints using windmills and linseed. Finally the paints made from food which is safe for children to use and is also edible. Rona Eco Paint recycling in Canada. Paints derived from flax by Rigo in The Netherlands….
In 2002 Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser invented a way of illuminating his workshop without using electricity. He used a plastic bottle filled with water and some bleach. The lamp was able to give off as much light as a 40 to 60 watt light bulb. However this invention had limitations since it could not store…
Plastic particles that are 5 mm or less are described as microplastics. Microplastics often found in facial scrubs and shower gels as microbeads. The breakdown of larger plastics and machine washing of synthetic clothing also results in microplastics. These microplastics then make their way into waterways and are virtually impossible to remove through filtration. Microplastics…
A father from Henan, a central province in China makes toys using low cost materials. Using cardboard boxes, bottles, wood skewers, elastic bands, bottle caps, marbles and a whole lot of imagination. His goals was to encourage his daughter to spend less time in-front of a screen. The result was more quality time with his 5…
Precious Plastic is an open source platform that shares their findings on how to solve plastic pollution. This project was created by Dave Hakkens from the Netherlands in 2013. The video below gives you a background on this project via the version 3 launch. We are patiently awaiting the updates that will come with the…
Tyres are complex products consisting of more than 200 raw materials. These different raw materials make it difficult for tyres to be recycled. Around the world several artists have been inspired by tyres and are very effective in sculpting old used tyres. Truly turning waste into art. A few artists from around the world include…
The Coradia iLint is the first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The train was by designed by Alstom teams in Salzgitter, Germany and in Tarbes, France. Electricity is generated by hydrogen fuel cells when hydrogen and oxygen combine to produce water. This makes the cells a promising zero emissions, energy source that…
DFAB House shows the potential of digital fabrication. Through the brilliant collaboration between architecture, construction, and science. DFAB House is the first house of its kind. Designed, planned and built, using digital processes.
In 2004, all waste generated in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital went to landfill. Presently, Ljubljana diverts 80% of its refuse from the landfill. Furthermore, 68% of this waste gets recycled. Ljubljana won the title of the 2016 European Green Capital award. This was a major win because Ljubljana was the only nominee out of the 5…
Sugru is a tool that helps to strengthen the reuse step of the European waste hierarchy. The five steps are “Prevention, Reuse, Recycle, Recovery and Disposal” respectively. Often times it is extremely difficult to repair items for reuse. Sugru is a mouldable, flexible, temperature resistant, waterproof and durable glue. It is able to harden in…
Share Shed– a “library of things”. A place where you can borrow useful items like: sewing machines, household appliances, camping, gardening and sporting equipment and so much more! Would your local community benefit from a library of things?
Imagine paper that is tear resistant, water resistant, bleach and acid free, bright white in colour and no trees were harmed to make this paper. The manufacturing process has a lower carbon footprint than with traditional paper. Well no need to imagine it. This paper is made from recycled stone.
Songhai Centre in Port Novo, Benin is the pinnacle of a zero waste agricultural site. Here they integrate vegetable production, aquaculture and animal husbandry to produce a large selection of produce. From food (cooking oils, fruit, baked goods, juices and livestock for consumption) to biogas, biomass, plastic recycling, fish feed, animal feed, composting, soap production…
This A/C unit cools without using electricity. An eco-friendly air conditioners for the steamy climate of New Delhi, created by the Architecture firm Ant Studio.
Leaf republic has created a selection of packaging products. They make the transparent lids from bioplastic and recycled plastic. They make the plates and bowls from three-layers. The bottom and top layers are leaves. The middle layer comprises water-proof leaf-made paper. No synthetic additives, colouring or glue used in the production process. Furthermore, the bowl…
Binners’ Project supports the most marginalised people in urban areas. Helping them to create an income from the collection of redeemable containers and other things from bins. Enabling these groups of waste pickers to sustain their livelihood and to divert waste from landfills.
This off-grid tiny home on wheels generates its own solar power. They collect and store rainwater. Solar water heating is also available. Composts from human waste. Other organic wastes generate biogas for cooking.
Bite, brush and repeat. An environmentally friendly alternative to plastic toothpaste tubes. They make this toothpaste pill from natural ingredients. Additionally, all the packaging is recyclable, thus reducing waste to landfill.
What is the decomposition rate for items we send to landfill? From banana peels, to milk carton, cigarette butts, plastic bags and leather. How long does it take to for our discarded goods to decompse?
Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, was the first municipality in Japan to promote a Zero Waste policy. The residents sort waste into 45 types in 13 categories. The municipality managed to recycle 81% of all their refuse in 2016.
San Pedro La Laguna is the first community on Lake Atitlán. Also, the third municipality in Guatemala, to ban the use of plastic bags. The new provision is stringent. The provision outlaws plastic straws, Styrofoam containers and all packaging material made of polystyrene.
Wecyclers allows people in low-income communities to capture value from their waste. This Lagos based company provides a door to door collection service. Giving households a chance to generate value from waste. Also providing a reliable supply of raw material to the local recycling industry.