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EU Decoded

Will new legally binding targets turn the fight against waste around?

Every year, millions of tonnes of food and textile waste are generated in the EU. The mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle to promote the circular economy does not seem to be enough to drive change.

Euronews Tech Talks

How are lithium-ion batteries recycled? | Podcast

Euronews Tech Talks looks at reconditioning and recycling lithium-ion batteries and why these processes are important.

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A retiree turns old boots into flower pots inTurkey

In Turkey's Güneysu, Ali İhsan Solak has transformed 40 old boots into colourful flower pots.

Green News

This Swiss data centre will heat 6,000 homes with recycled energy

Europe's many data centres are frequently criticised for how much energy they use.

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Help cats and the environment with new Bucharest vending machines

Bucharest has introduced eco-friendly vending machines in Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, offering food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycled bottles and cans.

Living

How did this European city get people to return their coffee cups?

More than 700,000 cups were returned here last year. Could deposit machines be coming to more of Europe’s streets?

Green News

Why plastic recycling isn’t the answer to the oceans full of waste

Even if 50 per cent more plastic was recycled there would still be a pollution problem, a French minister said this week.

Green News

Global Plastics Treaty: The warnings from campaigners to leaders

Compromise is needed, UN environment chief says – but activists warn the public demands decisive action on plastics.

Green News

Will the fifth Global Plastic Treaty talks finally seal a deal?

Global plastic production has increased over 200-fold to hit almost 460 million tonnes annually since 1950.

Scenes

Watch: The Colombian couple tackling homelessness using plastic pollution

In partnership with Media City

John Berrio López and Kelly Rodríguez collect plastic bottles from overflowing landfills and turn them into sustainable structures like schools and houses.

Business

Mercedes-Benz seeks to plug gap with own battery recycling factory

Mercedes is opening its own battery recycling plant in southern Germany, in an attempt to recover raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and lithium.

Green News

France plans to turns radioactive waste into forks and pans

Sweden and Germany already have novel ways of recycling materials once a nuclear plant has closed.

Green News

How your bag of old cables could power Europe’s wind turbines

UK households contain 38,449 tonnes of copper in old electricals, enough to build 1,240 copper Statues of Liberty.

Water Matters

Circular economy: Can hotels recycle wastewater from tourism?

In partnership with the European Commission

In regions of Europe where water is scarce, hotels are looking for ways to rationalise and recycle the water consumed by tourists. Some initiatives have been highlighted by the European project WAT'SAVEREUSE, led by Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion.

Eco-Innovation

Vaping waste is a ‘huge’ problem in the UK. Is a new ban the solution?

Last year, around five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away every week in the UK.

Green News

Has Shein misled customers with its environmental claims?

The Chinese fast fashion giant is being investigated in Italy over its sustainability claims.

Green News

11 people on trial for Sweden’s ‘largest environmental crime’

Waste management company Think Pink is accused of dumping at least 200,000 tonnes of rubbish.

Business

Capri Sun plans plastic return as paper proves final straw for juice

Customers in Switzerland will soon see plastic straws back on their Capri Sun packets. In the EU, however, paper straws are here to stay.

Water Matters

The Bulgarian water plant transforming waste into power

In partnership with the European Commission

Getting water to our taps and treating it afterwards accounts for about 5% of the greenhouse gas emissions of many countries. But one water plant in Bulgaria is bucking the trend. Can this be scaled up so the water industry gets to net zero?

Hungary

Hungary's recycling system clogs up as it struggles to meet EU target

The central European country has yet to reach the EU target of nearly 6.5 million recycled bottles per day by 2025.