An engineer has designed a Apple HomePod box that is "enticing" for any thief. It's GPS-enabled, so its journey can be tracked once it leaves his home perimeter. It records video with embedded mobile phones, no matter how the thief picked up the parcel. And, once triggered, it sprays half a kilo of glitter. To add insult to injury it includes a can of "fart spray," programmed to automatically spray after the glitter explosion is triggered. Reactions by the thieves are captured on the video. www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/thieves-stole-a-package-from-an-engineer-so-he-created-a-trap-using-glitter-and-fart-spray-20181219-p50n57.html
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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Jonathan Chrimes