Common plastic items like food and beverage containers CAN be recycled. But is the juice always worth the SQUEEZE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our oceans and landfills are overflowing with plastic waste. Hundreds of millions of tons are produced each year. Recycling can
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Thrifting and upcycling are so chic! But would you buy lightly used… medication?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Recycling gives things a second life. Cool idea! So why not recycle medicine? Enter Dominic Bennet from the University of Liverpool in England. Bennet was looking
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One man’s trash is another man’s… smart phone? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Electronics keep society wired, but how does Mother Nature like them? Electronics rely on rare earth elements–think cerium, neodymium, and dysprosium. Mining them is expensive AND damages the environment. Extracting them
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“You’re not leaving the table until you finish your… plastic?!” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A really inconvenient truth? Sort those colored bins as we like, only a small percentage of plastics can actually be recycled. Most end up in landfills, or burned, causing
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Got a drawer full of old phone chargers? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – who DOESN’T? Dead electronics live a LONG life. They’re useless – but we CAN’T just throw them away! When we FINALLY toss them, will they ever be re-used? Enter
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One man’s trash is another man’s…disinfectant? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Time for spring cleaning! Get out those sprays, scrubs and solvents! But all those chemicals – so toxic to us AND our environment! Is there a CLEANER way to CLEAN? Fengbo Yu at
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Reduce, reuse, recycle…VANILLA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastic wrapping, cups, utensils, oh my! Plastic production is contributing to a global waste crisis! One type of plastic in particular, P.E.T, can be recycled — but it doesn’t break down easily. Is there a sweet
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Is chemistry, ooh. . . as easy as playing with Legos?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastic bags, soda bottles, candy wrappers … Polyethylene (PE) is EVERYWHERE! It’s made from petrochemicals and recycling it usually requires high temperatures — which gobble up energy! Is
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Recharge your Apple phone… with an orange peel? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying Yes! It’s Apples AND oranges! Recycling batteries? Now that’s a bright idea! But the harsh acids used to recycle batteries still make nasty pollutants. These include chlorine gas and
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The Earth is DROWNING in plastic! Can we find relief — at the pet store? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Almost ten percent of all plastics are polystyrene. Think: foam cups and to-go boxes. Polystyrene can take HUNDREDS of years to break down. Is
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