E-Waste being diverted away from landfill
AUSTRALIANS THROW ‘AWAY’ millions of computers, televisions, smartphones and tablets every year.
In: Electronic waste kept out of landfill in the hundreds of tonnes thanks to this Queensland charity, Mackenzie Colahan (ABC Gold Coast, 16 May 2023, reports that:
Most of them end up in landfill, causing toxic chemicals such as lead and mercury to leach into the soil, which damages the environment and can endanger human health, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
But a Queensland recycling program has found a way to divert tonnes of discarded electronic devices from landfill, while also providing employment opportunities for people with disability. Get the full story here.
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PICTURE: 2023 Visionary Award winner for Architecture and Design, Revival Projects. Photography by Tom Graham.
The Multi-Disciplinary Practice Giving Discarded Materials a Second Chance.
Melbourne-based Revival Projects is shaping the future of circular building practices.
In 2022, Robbie Neville’s company transformed an industrial warehouse scheduled for demolition into the Zero Footprint Repurposing hub, a free space devoted to the storage and reuse of materials from demolished buildings. It also launched its own app, Revival Cooperative, a community-centred platform where users can redistribute or source materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
“This is an exciting nexus of digital technology and physical materials, creating a zero footprint,” says Indigenous design expert Beau de Belle. “Revival Cooperative is an exemplar for a new digital cataloguing of salvaged building materials. Get more details here …
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Don’t flick it, fix it
Fixable is a free online platform to make repair and reuse easy and accessible for people everywhere.
IN THE FIXABLE COMMUNITY you can: join discussions related to repair and reuse, discover and promote local repair events, ask questions, post polls, seek and offer advice, promote and host or attend paid and free lessons, teach and learn new skills and techniques online or offline, find someone nearby to fix your stuff, trade spare parts and other repair-related stuff, lend or borrow tools and equipment, celebrate successes, and commiserate over failures.
Get involved, tell your friends, and let’s make repair and reuse mainstream again. If we can achieve that, the future is Fixable.
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If it’s broken, fix it
BBC Earth (2 March 2023) has released a short film about the worldwide Repair Cafe movement. For this film, local camera teams shot at three locations: in Amsterdam – home of the Repair Cafe – in Lisbon and in New York City. Watch the film – click on link below … (see the magazine report in Issue 39 for link details)
Repair Cafe International, has produced and released a short video. In two minutes, we explain why the Repair Cafe movement needs your support. The video is Dutch spoken, but you can enable English subtitling.
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Being good instead of being less bad
Reggs is one of the two C2C® accredited design companies in the world. To inspire our clients we’ve made an animation about Cradle to Cradle® explaining the C2C® philosophy in only 5 minutes!
Brielfy, in a few words, what is Cradle to Cradle®? Cradle to Cradle® is about being good instead of being less bad. It stimulates us to rethink the way we design products. It is a positive approach to deal with the scarcity and toxicity of materials, to make use of the abundance of solar power income and to celebrate and respect diversity on every level. Michael Braungart and William McDonough are the founders of the Cradle to Cradle® philosophy. http://www.c2c-centre.com/library-item/reggs
And for something similar here is a Circular Economy animated documentary –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_isKtGaf8
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Let’s not rubbish rubbish
JUNK FESTIVAL is the one time of the year in Katherine when saying “your outfit’s rubbish” is a welcome compliment, reports Samantha Dick in Katherine’s Junk Festival encourages community artists as council prepares to trial kerbside recycling. (ABC Katherine, 4 June 2023)
Celebrating its 11th year, about 2,300 residents came together in the Northern Territory town on Saturday to show off their costumes and sculptures made out of recycled materials.
In a region without kerbside recycling, the sustainable arts show encourages residents to reflect on their shopping habits and reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill.
Annalisa Bowden (picture) has been attending Junk Festival since 2020, made a dress and fascinator out of recycled wire, garbage bags and bottle caps.
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All these reports including pictures and links were published in MMM … Issue 39, August – September 2023
