Love Food Hate Waste: could you live without throwing food away?

Madeleine Cuff

30th March, 2012

Madeleine Cuff challenged herself to spend a week reducing her food and packaging waste. Did it work, and will other consumers and supermarkets take note? more...

San Francisco's scavengers: a story of gangs, poverty and recycling

Felicity Carus

16th August, 2011

Scavenging is on the rise in the US and is no longer the exclusive domain of the poor. Felicity Carus reports on San Francisco's attempts to close down this informal sector and its impact on a burgeoning recycling culture more...

Charities suffer as criminal gangs target lucrative clothing recycling sector

Louise Hunt

1st February, 2011

Charities, including Oxfam and Traid, which rely on donations of unwanted clothes are facing an escalating theft problem - which could undermine public confidence in recycling and increase clothing waste, reports Louise Hunt more...

ASDA and Marks & Spencer lead assault on packaging waste crisis - but will it work?

Aimee Steen

9th November, 2010

As UK supermarkets scramble to reduce packaging in the face of growing legislation and consumer demand, Aimee Steen talks exclusively to those tackling the problem at high street stores and asks what role customers have to play more...

Revealed: scandal of Roma people forced to scavenge toxic e-waste

Carolyn Lebel

12th October, 2010

In the wake of President Sarkozy's crackdown on the Roma people, an Ecologist investigation uncovers how poverty and discrimination are forcing persecuted communities to scratch a living recycling France's growing mountain of e-waste - potentially threatening health and raising questions over the effectiveness of waste policies

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Can a landfill site ever return to nature?

Nick Kimbrell

6th July, 2010

One of the biggest landfill sites in the US is in the process of becoming a nature reserve and a recreation ground. Is this just papering over the cracks, or can our rubbish heaps really turn into something beautiful? more...

The Living Machine: an ecological approach to poo

Tafline Laylin

8th June, 2010

By mimicking the purifying behaviour of wetland ecosystems we can deal with our sewage using one quarter of the energy, and a fraction of the smell... more...

The new green face of incineration technology

Mark Jansen

18th May, 2010

Incineration is a dirty word amongst environmentalists, its reputation earned through the use of outdated technology. Could new techniques help bring green approval to energy-from-waste facilities? more...

'Just throw it out' - Council advice on toxic lightbulbs

Ian Randall

9th March, 2010

An Ecologist investigation reveals that three quarters of London Boroughs are advising their residents to simply throw compact fluorescent lightbulbs in their general waste, despite the hazard posed by their mercury content more...

How we poison Bangladesh with toxic ship carcasses

Andrew Hickman

23rd February, 2010

Workers are dying in Bangladesh’s shipyards because the west's shipping industry - including UK companies - is not taking responsibility for the disposal of ageing vessels more...