As credit card surcharges and minimum purchase amounts gradually disappear, contactless payments are becoming more practical for small purchases. As wearables strive to become more fashionable, Bankwest in Australia has launched a Halo smart ring which lets you simply wave your hand to pay for things at the counter. Waterproof to 50 metres, the ring doesn't require charging and isn't dependent on a linked smartphone, meaning there's no danger of a flat battery leaving you in the lurch. www.smh.com.au/technology/innovation/tap-and-go-smart-ring-makes-contactless-payments-fashionable-20180128-p4yyz3.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