This car vending machine in Guangzhou, China, lets you test-drive Ford vehicles you?re looking to buy. You select the model you?re interested in, put down a deposit electronically, schedule a pickup time, and snap a selfie so the vending machine can recognize you when you pick up the car for a test drive. The test drives are up to 3 days and free, as long as you have a very respectable credit score of 700 or above.
www.theverge.com/2018/3/26/17163478/ford-alibaba-cat-car-vending-machine-china
A 2023 start-up aiming to make recycling convenient and accessible to all is about to go national. The aim is to provide people with a home pick-up option for some of the "trickier" items the normal recycling bins can't handle - including soft plastics. https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/recyclesmart-goes-national/
A Kyushu University study (2021) estimated there were 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics in the world's upper oceans or roughly 30 billion 500-ml plastic water bottles. Microplastics are tiny, toxic and very hard to remove from the environment. But researchers in the US have discovered that some Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) can attract and bind microplastics, making it easier to remove them from the environment. And the N in NADES is key - natural - in this instance, think extracts from plants. https://www.research.uky.edu/news/researchers-develop-eco-friendly-magnet-battle-microplastics
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