In China, designer Meng Du has launched a line of handbags made from vineyard waste—specifically grape marc, which is made up of the skins, pulp, pips and stems left after grapes are pressed. The textile is produced by France’s Planet of the Grapes. The process involves collecting marc from nearby vineyards, drying it using […]
In Florida, INEOS has signed a feedstock supply agreement with the Indian River County Board of Commission which includes plans to import 90,000 tons per year of yard clippings, tree trimmings and other vegetative waste from other counties in order to supply its $150 million plant in addition to the 55,000 tons per year of […]
In Michigan, efarms LLC is developing solutions for producing small-scale, ‘community fuels,’ or ethanol produced from yard waste as well as unwanted fruits, vegetables and other starches and sugars. The company will be rolling out the first 25 to 30 machines this spring for more traditional farm setting production of ethanol like corn, grain and […]
In Washington state, PNNL researchers identified the most efficient sites for waste-to-fuel SAF production facilities. The optimum solution is co-locating the SAF production facilities with the places where significant amounts of waste is produced and airports where SAF could be used at high volumes. The researchers focused on wet waste (sludge, manure, etc.) and dry […]
In India, The Indian Express reported that the government of Telangana state has decided to set up five waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in addition to the one currently operational in Hyderabad’s legacy dumpyard Jawaharnagar in a bid to be able to generate as much as 101 MW of power by December next year. At present, the […]
In New York, designer Peter Do included clothing made from shrimp and mushroom waste in his Spring Summer 2023 collection’s Fashion Week debut. The material—sourced from TômTex—was used in “glossy wide-leg trousers and rounded-neck tank tops, with one look featuring camel hues and the other a black finish,” according to design publication dezeen. TômTex’s material […]
As COVID-19 deaths sadly reached the 200,000 mark in the U.S. this week, some innovators are finding more sustainable ways to deal with death in the form of mycelium coffins that help compost the body and remove toxins from the soil. On a more uplifting note, you can walk in sustainable shoes while you are […]
By Michael Timko, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Special to The Digest The sound of scraping your plate of un-eaten food is a familiar one to all of us. For most people in the U.S., this food winds up in the local landfill. In some locations, composting options are available. But, the […]
From Jose Cuervo’s new project to convert agave byproduct into biodegradable straws to death (corpse to compost), this week’s Top 10 Innovations are a hoot to boot. Car maker Ford is using McDonald’s coffee waste in car parts, and a New Zealand airline is using edible coffee cups made from biscotti to reduce in-light service […]
In Washington state, there’s a new mill near the city of Dayton that is the first to use waste straw to make pulp for paper products, and biopolymers; and, a new project near Granger turning dairy waste into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas; also, a proposed project for Cosmopolis using sulfite pulp waste liquor to make […]
