cleanliness, japan, recycling

Watch and Learn: Japanese and Their Cleanliness

In the eastern Japanese city of Hamamatsu, a subway got flooded recently. Internet users gazed in disbelief at the water, but not for the usual reason. It was because the water was unusually clean. We all know that cleanliness is an important Japanese trait. But to see a subway flooded with crystal clear water shows ...

Armin Auctor

A clean Japanese city.

Recycling in Style: Nespresso Turning Coffee Pods Into Bicycles

Coffee pods have long been accused of damaging the environment. According to estimates, around 56 billion single-use coffee capsules end up in landfills every year. To tackle the situation, Nespresso has come up with a unique solution — converting its coffee capsules into bicycles. The recycled bike from Nespresso capsules “Through our collaboration with Vélosophy, ...

Raven Montmorency

A couple walking with their bicycles.

China Looking for Ways to Solve Its Enormous Plastic Problem

With plastic pollution becoming a major problem in China, the government seems to have awakened to the issue, framing policies to limit the menace. Globally, less than a fifth of the world’s plastic is recycled. As far as China is concerned, it only recycles about 25 percent. The country accounts for nearly 29 percent of global ...

Max Lu

Plastic bottle waste in China.

China’s Recycling Ban: Turning Treasure Into Trash

When you put out the recycling bin, do you stop to think about where your waste ends up? Would you be surprised to learn the answer, in most cases, is China? But now, China’s recycling ban threatens the entire recycling industry. For decades, shipping containers have been loaded with recyclable material and dispatched to China ...

David Clapp