An anonymous Italian lottery player accidentally threw away a €1m winning ticket, which was later recovered from a 'mountain of waste' by refuse workers after a 2-day search, facilitated by the player's family noticing the winning numbers.
Originally conceived as a power canal, the Love Canal site in Niagara Falls became a toxic waste dump, leading to a catastrophic environmental disaster in the 1970s and the creation of the federal Superfund program.
High levels of microplastics and plastic contamination were discovered in a Turkish waterway near an Adana recycling hub supplied with British waste, raising agricultural and food safety concerns.
US mattress recycling programs have recovered 650 million pounds of materials from over 17 million discarded mattresses, addressing landfill issues and machinery damage. While 18 million mattresses are discarded annually, most end up in landfills due to limited specialized facilities, despite 80% recyclability.
Fourteen-year-old Houston student Aiden Jo is a national finalist in the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his "Squeeze-gami" collapsible container, designed to reduce waste volume. He will receive mentorship and compete in October for the "America's Top Young Scientist" title and $25,000.
Former LSU student Grand founded Giving Greek, a student-run organization that has donated over 10,000 meals from campus food waste to Baton Rouge's St Vincent de Paul homeless shelter. His efforts, recognized by Senator Bill Cassidy, also include toy drives and blanket distribution.
A former LSU student, Grand, founded Giving Greek to repurpose campus food waste. The student-run organization has donated over 10,000 meals to Baton Rouge's St Vincent de Paul homeless shelter and was recognized by US Senator Bill Cassidy for its community impact.
Indian cities face recurring road excavations due to poor coordination among multiple utility agencies, leading to traffic congestion, fuel wastage, increased emissions, and deteriorating road quality. Experts advocate for better governance, digital mapping, and common utility corridors to mitigate these economic and social costs.
Michigan landowner Susan Miller sued Toll Brothers and other developers in Washtenaw County, alleging ignored property rights, altered water flow, and improper recording of easement changes for a 107-luxury home project with wastewater plants near her 19 acres.
Americans discard 50,000 mattresses daily, contributing to a significant waste problem as many take decades to decompose. While up to 80% of a mattress is recyclable, limited infrastructure and the absence of Extended Producer Responsibility laws in most US states hinder effective recycling efforts.
Ghanaian entrepreneur Nelson Boateng's company, Nelplast, is converting plastic waste into durable, cost-effective paving blocks for roads, addressing Ghana's severe plastic pollution problem. This initiative creates jobs for over 500 collectors and 60 direct employees, offering a cheaper alternative to conventional concrete blocks.
The ACT's Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling program has been delayed again, with a territory-wide rollout now aimed for 2030. ACT City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne cited complexity, while ACT Greens Leader Jo Clay criticized the delay as a failure of climate action and a disappointment for residents.
China, the world's largest EV market, faces a significant challenge with a growing wave of end-of-life batteries. Despite building recycling capacity, much of the waste flows to uncertified recyclers, posing environmental and safety risks. New regulations aim to improve the system.
UEFA's threat to boycott FIFA competitions over a proposal to sell World Cup stakes to private investors placed women's football on the frontline. The plan, which would have severely impacted the women's game, ultimately collapsed, highlighting the risks posed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino's governance.
The body of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross, who had connections to Greece, was found in a suitcase in Kypseli, Athens, last month. Greek and Scottish police are investigating her death, which remains a mystery as initial examinations were inconclusive and her phone was used days after her presumed death.
Michigan landowner Susan Miller sued homebuilder Toll Brothers and others in Washtenaw County, alleging ignored property rights, altered water flow, and improper termination of her land access for a 107-luxury home development near her 19-acre property.
Borussia Dortmund's women's team, bolstered by signings like Manuela Zinsberger and Alexandra Popp, aims to secure promotion to the 2. Bundesliga after narrowly missing out last season.
Fast Metals, a startup, has raised $4.3M to develop a chemistry-based process to extract valuable minerals like titanium and rare-earth elements from red mud, a waste product of aluminum refining, making the process economically viable.
An international team led by Dr. Koh Gou-young discovers arachnoid fenestrations, tiny openings in the brain's protective membrane, enabling cerebrospinal fluid to drain into lymph nodes, shedding light on waste clearance crucial for preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Wadi Dawan, Yemen, faces a severe environmental crisis as plastic waste and sewage contaminate its agricultural valley, threatening date palms, honey production, and public health. The problem is exacerbated by the country's ongoing war, which has crippled waste management services and local authority funding.
Experts at a public inquiry warn Australia's proposed Aukus nuclear submarine fleet will generate tonnes of weapons-usable uranium-235, posing significant proliferation risks and long-term radioactive waste management challenges, potentially weakening global non-proliferation efforts.
A public policy professor uses the "work vs. gym" analogy to explain when AI assistance is appropriate, arguing that tasks designed for skill development (gym tasks) should not use AI, while efficiency-focused tasks (work tasks) can. This distinction highlights the impact of AI on students' learning and the future of creative professions.
RMIT University scientists developed a reusable magnetic material that removes over 95% of micro- and nanoplastics, heavy metals, and drug residues from water within an hour. The cost-effective technology, showing early promise against PFAS, is being tested for commercial deployment in Australia, the US, and Europe.
India's urban rivers, including the Yamuna, Mithi, Musi, Cooum, and Vrishabhavathi, are severely degraded, shrinking due to unchecked urban expansion, encroachment, and pollution from untreated sewage and industrial waste, despite significant government investments.
