The U.S. Department of Energy announced the establishment of a Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize and a research and development center for the recycling of critical materials such as cobalt and lithium from lithium-ion batteries. The research and development center (R&D Center) is to be managed by the Argonne National Laboratory together with the National Renewable […]

Councils should stop using boxes for recycling because of the risk of injury to refuse workers who have to handle them, safety experts have said. The call has come from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), whose research found the number of musculoskeletal injuries fell when wheeled bins were used instead of boxes. […]

European NGO says firms are likely to be at centre of global boom in plastic production The founding companies behind a self-styled alliance to end plastic waste are among the world’s biggest investors in new plastic productions plants, according to a European NGO. A majority of the firms which announced this week they were collaborating […]

In the Congo basin, minerals used in cellphones and other electronics are often mined by illegal, small-scale miners who end up hurting wildlife for food and driving them away from their habitat. You can do something to change this. You probably use it every day and don’t think once about gorillas. In today’s world, it’s almost […]

KAILUA-KONA — Save the sharks? Most people are familiar with the slogan “save the whales” as well as the efforts behind curbing the whaling industry and limiting plastic pollution in oceans to help protect some of the world’s largest mammals. But a couple of state legislators in Hawaii believe sharks and rays are in equal […]

KAILUA-KONA — Every January, service providers head out to the beaches and the bush to search for Hawaii Island’s most elusive population — its homeless. HOPE Services Hawaii will captain the effort, as it does every year, but can’t complete the task with its personnel alone. So, as it also does every year, HOPE is […]

The International Monetary Fund has warned that escalating trade tensions could undermine global economic growth. In a new report on the world economic outlook, the IMF also warns of risks from a no-deal Brexit. For the world economy, the IMF is now predicting growth of 3.5% in 2019. In October, it forecast 3.7%. For the […]

A historic park on Kauai is playing a role in the troubled relationship between the United States and Russia. The Russian ambassador and Russian Americans are fighting to preserve the name of Russian Fort Elizabeth in Kauai’s west side town of Waimea. But cultural experts and state officials say the site is far more Hawaiian […]

 It’s already been towed out once before, and it was just towed out a second time. Officials with the Department of Land and Natural resources provided an update on a rotting sperm whale carcass off Oahu’s southern shore. On Saturday, the DLNR said crews towed out the remains of the whale an additional 2.5 miles. […]

Why has the world continued to increase consumption of plastic materials when at the same time, environmental and human health concerns over their use have grown? One answer is they are immensely useful to humankind, and despite problems they create, they have provided countless benefits. They are used to construct lighter automobiles and planes, improving […]