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Top Things That Aren't Recyclable We've all probably been guilty of this recycling no-no at least once — discarding a disposable coffee cup or food takeout container in our bin. While you may be thinking you're doing your part to help, your optimistic recycling may actually be hurting the process. Depending on where you live, there are some items that simply aren't recyclable, including varieties of paper, glass and plastic. Check with your city service provider to know specifics, but here's a list of items that generally are not recyclable, along with suggestions on how you can dispose or reuse them. Aerosol Cans Sure, they're metal. But since spray cans also contain propellants and chemicals, most municipal systems treat them as hazardous material. Batteries These are generally handled separately from both regular trash and curbside recycling. Brightly Dyed Paper Strong paper dyes work just like that red sock in your white laundry. Ceramics and Pottery This in

Scientists Create 100% Biodegradable Paper Straws That Don’t Get Soggy The strong paper straws are easy to make and degrade to nothing. Eco enthusiasts who've already eschewed straws may wonder what the point is in developing new ones. But for anyone unable or unwilling to abide by a soggy paper straw, a strong yet fully biodegradable one has been invented by scientists at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT). The discovery comes from the joint research team of Dr. Oh Dongyeop and Dr. Kwak Hojung of KRICT and Professor Park Jeyoung of Sogang University. The new straws are easy to mass-produce and could fill the gap between consumers wanting a rigid straw and regulations on plastic straws in restaurants and cafés. Changing consumer habits and weaning the world off straws would be the best-case scenario (with an exception for those who rely on straws for health and other reasons). But in the meantime, a truly biodegradable straw that can stand up to the complai

Can Paper Plates Be Recycled? Composting and Other Eco-Friendly Alternatives The short answer is yes and no. While some paper plates can be recycled, the vast majority usually can’t. Rather than throw them away after one use, consider more eco-friendly alternatives. Nearly 220 million Americans use paper plates and cups, and this figure is expected to continue rising. As of 2018, the U.S. paper plate and cup market was worth $20.7 billion, making the country one of the largest consumers of these items worldwide. Why (Most) Paper Plates Can’t Be Recycled  There are two main reasons why the majority of paper plates can’t be recycled: They’re Coated in Wax, Plastic, or Clay This coating offers a smooth surface and prevents the paper plate from soaking up liquids or grease. Usually, the coating can’t be separated from the paper in a recycling facility, so paper plates can’t be recycled like regular paper. Some municipalities may accept clean coated paper plates along with to-go food contai

Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Could Deliver Clean Power Too Cheap to Meter Is this a Wright Brothers or Zephram Cochrane moment that changes everything? The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) accomplished what's being called the holy grail of fusion research: It achieved fusion ignition. In other words, it managed to get more energy out than it put in ... sort of. There's not much of it, but it is still a big deal. In a press conference, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said, “This is one of the most impressive feats of the 21st century.” She then compared it to the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk and noted, "But we’re not yet ready for a transatlantic flight." According to the LLNL, it achieved what it calls a "scientific energy breakeven, meaning it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it." Researchers have been trying to do this since the 1950s. Two major approaches have been used in fusion research. The most

Top Worst Forms of Pollution For everything we take from the Earth, there is a byproduct or consequence. Perhaps pollution is a symptom of nature's imbalance. Some people reap from the Earth, but countless others become sick, displaced or harmed due to the resulting pollution — affecting wildlife and more. On the off chance that a guilty conscience is an unknown symptom of overexploitation, here's a list of the 10 worst forms of pollution and their effects on humans. Oil spills In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, the harmful effects of marine oil spills are obvious. Birds, fish and other marine life can be devastated from a spill, and the ecosystems often take decades to recover. The oil is ingested by some animals, allowing pollutants to enter the food chain, harming fisheries and other industries in the region. Many people don't realize that most oil pollution actually comes from land-based activity. One way or another, oil has seeped into nearly all of Earth's ecosyst

NASA's SWOT Mission Will Provide First Detailed Map of Earth's Surface Water The advanced radar satellite will provide unprecedented insights into our planet’s water cycle and impacts from climate change. NASA's $1.2 billion Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite (SWOT) successfully launched from California on December 16, marking the start of an unprecedented mission to map Earth's water bodies. “It’s a game changer,” Rosemary Morrow, oceanographer at the Laboratory of Space, Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies and one of the science leads for the mission, told Nature. “It will be like putting on a pair of glasses when you are short-sighted: things are sort of vague, and then suddenly everything comes into clarity.” Developed over nearly two decades as part of a joint project with the French National Centre for Space Studies, SWOT will use advanced radar to measure the elevation, extent, and movement of water across the planet. Such insights will help researche

100 Trillion Bits of Old Satellites Circling the Planet, Scientists Call for Action on Space Junk A group of scientists want a legally-binding treaty to ensure Earth’s orbit isn’t irreparably harmed. Houston, we have a problem. The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with landfills groaning under the stress. We've delivered more than 170 trillion plastic particles to the oceans and continue to do so at an alarmingly rapid rate. With land and sea literally littered with trash, where else do we have to turn? Well, the final frontier, of course. Space. NASA calls what's known as low Earth orbit (LEO) an orbital space junkyard, explaining that "most orbital debris comprises human-generated objects, such as pieces of spacecraft, tiny flecks of paint from a spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites that are no longer working, or explosions of objects in orbit flying around in space at high speeds." There are no international space laws to c

Do Plants Have Feelings? One of the main distinctions between plants and animals is how they respond to stimuli. Humans have brains, where stimuli are understood and responses formed. “Emotional” responses are merely complex responses to complex social stimuli. Plants lack a central nervous system but are still capable of processing information from external sources and responding to them. While plants don't have the same “feelings” that we do, they often remember stimuli and communicate with other plants about them. Plant vs. Animal Feelings Animals have neurons that transmit sensory feelings to a central nervous system (the brain). In humans, if your brain determines that those feelings are negative and dangerous, it sends a message back to their point of origin, causing you to react to avoid the continuation of that pain. Animals like us have memories that allow us to avoid future pain. Memories of previous injuries don't trigger our bodies to produce adrenaline when the mem

The Environmental Impact of Ocean Noise Ocean noise pollution can extend beyond individual animals to impact entire ecosystems. Here are the facts and how you can help. Ocean noise broadly refers to the noise made by human activity that can obstruct the ability of marine animals to hear natural sounds in the ocean. Anthropogenic noise has been increasing over the years, even doubling each decade in some areas of the world. This noise can mask communication between aquatic animals and decrease their ability to find prey or be aware of predators, among other problems. This type of noise pollution can impact individual species from disturbance to mortality if not controlled. Ocean Noise Pollution Facts Sources of human-made ocean noise pollution include shipping vessels, sonar systems, seismic surveys, military exercises, and underwater construction. The intensity of ocean noise has increased dramatically over the past few decades due to the expansion of commercial shipping, offshore dril

The Grand Theft Auto VI - Prepare to Be Blown Away! After about a decade, fans were still purchasing their copies of Grand Theft Auto V and might have continued to do so if it weren't for the release of its sequel's trailer. This release was posted one day prior to the scheduled announcement, understandably due to the possible leaks from the overexcited fans. Overnight, the 90-second glimpse of GTA VI that was released on Monday night reached up to 60 million views. Finally, the GTA 6 trailer broke the record with 120M+ views within a very short period on YouTube. This R-rated gangbuster controversy game has been on the top list since 1997, with every release introducing new locations, guns, vehicles, stories, etc. This time, the makers have decided to take the players back to Vice City, in the state of Leonida. The first look at GTA VI brings a whole new level of street-level chaos, with its dual protagonists getting involved in all sorts of crimes. The trailer hints at illega