Recycling news: 2026

Fresh every day from industry press, GOV.UK and research feeds — plus the historical archive. Last updated 1 Aug 2026.

Research & science Hidden antibiotics in river fish spark new food safety fears Antibiotics are accumulating in a major Brazilian river, especially during the dry season when pollution becomes more concentrated. Scientists even detected a banned drug inside fish sold for food, raising concerns about human exposure. A common aquatic plant showed promise in removing these chemicals from water—but it also altered how fish absorb them, creating unexpected risks. ScienceDaily — Recycling and Waste · 22 Mar 2026 Research & science Optimizing distributions over molecular space. An Objective-Reinforced Generative Adversarial Network for Inverse-design Chemistry (ORGANIC) - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 21 Mar 2026 Research & science Green Lean Six sigma for multidimensional performance improvement: a case study on supply chain management Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 21 Mar 2026 Research & science Yes, AI could boost productivity, but work is about more than maximising output Work needs to deliver security, fairness and social value as well as efficiency. Newcastle University — The Conversation institution feed · 20 Mar 2026 Research & science Hamnet’s forest witch: how Agnes Hathaway chimes with the growing interest in ‘green witchcraft’ Popular on social media, the green witchcraft trend reveals how the witch has evolved into an ecofeminist heroine for our times. University of Bath — The Conversation institution feed · 20 Mar 2026 Research & science Do petrol retailers really ‘price-gouge’ during oil price spikes? Research suggests that profiteering may actually be more likely when we’re not watching prices closely. University of Warwick — The Conversation institution feed · 20 Mar 2026 Research & science Is your state regulation ready? a review of geologic carbon sequestration regulations in the United States Volume 17, Issue 1, December 2026 . Carbon Management (Taylor & Francis) · 20 Mar 2026 Research & science What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management Toward Circularity until 2050 dc.title: What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management Toward Circularity until 2050 dc.contributor.author: Cook, Ed; Ionkova, Kremena; Bhada-Tata, Perinaz; Yadav, Sonakshi; Van Woerden, Frank dc.description.abstract: What a Waste 3.0 is the third edition of the World Bank Group’s What a Waste series, following the 2012 and 2018 publications. It updates and expands these earlier … World Bank Open Knowledge Repository — 'circular economy' search · 20 Mar 2026 Research & science Could a gut microbe influence muscle strength? Muscle strength is crucial for good health. University of Nottingham — The Conversation institution feed · 19 Mar 2026 Research & science What would make England’s student loan system fairer? Should higher education be treated mainly as a private investment for individuals, or as a public good? Brunel University of London — The Conversation institution feed · 19 Mar 2026 Research & science Scientists solve 12,800-year-old climate mystery hidden in Greenland ice A mysterious spike of platinum buried deep in Greenland’s ice has long fueled theories of a catastrophic comet or asteroid strike 12,800 years ago—possibly triggering a sudden return to icy conditions known as the Younger Dryas. But new research points to a far less dramatic, yet still powerful culprit: volcanic eruptions. Scientists found the platinum signal doesn’t match space debris and actu… ScienceDaily — Hazardous Waste · 19 Mar 2026 Research & science Hitachi R&D Leaders Visit Imperial for a Showcase of Research Excellence - Imperial College London Imperial College London News · 19 Mar 2026 Research & science Vulnerability assessment of informal waste workers in India and its implications towards sustainable waste management policy Waste Management & Research, Ahead of Print. India’s informal waste sector (IWS), embedded in the shadows of urban metabolism, remains vital yet systematically marginalised. Despite the sector’s unprecedented contribution to the circular economy and resource recovery, it is highly vulnerable to ... Waste Management & Research (SAGE) · 19 Mar 2026 Research & science Performance and properties of controlled low-strength materials incorporating red mud and fly ash Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 18 Mar 2026 Research & science Horror won big at the 2026 Oscars – it’s time the genre was taken seriously Four of the big winners at this year’s Oscars were horror films – is the genre finally getting some respect from the industry? Brunel University of London — The Conversation institution feed · 17 Mar 2026 Research & science How did the courts backlog get so bad? By autumn 2025 the Crown Court backlog had reached nearly 80,000 outstanding cases. Brunel University of London — The Conversation institution feed · 17 Mar 2026 Research & science Iran war shows how AI speeds up military ‘kill chains’ The speed and scale of war are being enhanced by AI systems – but they also bring new risks for civilians and military combatants. Newcastle University — The Conversation institution feed · 17 Mar 2026 Research & science Comparative analysis and design optimization of hydrogen-based battery thermal management Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 17 Mar 2026 Research & science Toward a Green Taxonomy in Armenia: A Working Paper dc.title: Toward a Green Taxonomy in Armenia: A Working Paper dc.contributor.author: World Bank dc.description.abstract: The World Bank Group supports the Ministry of Economy of Armenia in developing a green taxonomy (GT) as a key step toward a sound system of identifying, selecting, and financing green and sustainable development projects and actions, and as an essential milestone toward estab… World Bank Open Knowledge Repository — 'circular economy' search · 17 Mar 2026 Research & science No space, no power, no support – what life is really like for Indian IT workers serving global firms Remote working does not always mean more freedom. University of Bath — The Conversation institution feed · 16 Mar 2026 Research & science Plastic bottles transformed into Parkinson's drug using bacteria A drug to treat Parkinson's disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using a pioneering method, a study shows. The approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform post-consumer plastic into L-DOPA, a frontline medication for the neurological disorder. It is the first time a natural, biological process has been engineered to turn plastic waste into a therapeutic for a neurological di… Phys.org — 'e-waste' search feed · 16 Mar 2026 Research & science Geneticist Anne Brunet explores the science of aging - Stanford Report Stanford Report · 16 Mar 2026 Research & science Staff Spotlight: Gustavo Raskosky - Rice University Rice University News · 15 Mar 2026 Research & science Scared of spiders? Scientists say the real nightmare is losing them Spiders and insects may not be fan favorites, but they are vital to the health of ecosystems—and scientists barely know how they’re doing. Researchers found that nearly 90% of North America’s insect and arachnid species have no conservation status, leaving their fate largely unknown. Even more striking, most states don’t protect a single arachnid species. The study warns that these overlooked c… ScienceDaily — Sustainability · 15 Mar 2026 Research & science Why the Chagos Islands deal is delayed – and Mauritius is threatening to sue the UK The UK government’s efforts to decolonise the Chagos Islands remain mired in legal controversy. Newcastle University — The Conversation institution feed · 13 Mar 2026 Research & science To win freedom from Trump’s America, Europe needs to overcome its ‘downward coping syndrome’ Europe is rattled by Trump’s approach to geopolitics but doesn’t seem able to produce an alternative vision. University of Warwick — The Conversation institution feed · 13 Mar 2026 Research & science MERMaid: Universal multimodal mining of chemical reactions from PDFs using vision-language models - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 13 Mar 2026 Research & science The destruction of “forever chemicals” and greenhouse gases. - Imperial College London Imperial College London News · 13 Mar 2026 Research & science Oil price escalation could help China grasp more green global leadership A focus on green energy growth could be a bonus for China’s economy. University of Nottingham — The Conversation institution feed · 12 Mar 2026 Research & science Hearing loss is often called a dementia risk factor – here’s what the research really shows Hearing loss and dementia often occur together, but the link is complex. University of Nottingham — The Conversation institution feed · 12 Mar 2026 Research & science School of Convergence Science Celebrates Women at Imperial Week - Imperial College London Imperial College London News · 11 Mar 2026 Research & science News from the Executive Board 2026/2 – Staffnet - ETH Zürich ETH Zurich News · 11 Mar 2026 Research & science Ocean warming may supercharge a tiny microbe that controls marine nutrients As deep-sea waters warm, scientists expected trouble for the microbes that help keep ocean chemistry in balance. Instead, researchers found that Nitrosopumilus maritimus can adapt to warmer, iron-limited conditions by using iron more efficiently. Because these microbes control key nitrogen reactions that support marine life, their adaptability could help sustain ocean productivity. In a warming… ScienceDaily — Recycling and Waste · 11 Mar 2026 Research & science Public policy challenges in the domains of energy, environmental and economic sustainability: insights from Czechia Volume 17, Issue 1, December 2026 . Carbon Management (Taylor & Francis) · 11 Mar 2026 Research & science Mau Mau: how Kenya’s history of colonial violence speaks through living bodies and graves If archives were destroyed and public history suppressed, where else might the past be found? University of Warwick — The Conversation institution feed · 9 Mar 2026 Research & science Circular Economy Performance in the European Union: An Assessment with Different Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods Waste Management & Research, Ahead of Print. This study aims to comparatively assess the circular economy (CE) performance of 27 European Union (EU) member states using data from 2000 to 2023. The CE is considered a critical strategy for optimizing resource use, reducing waste, reintegrating ... Waste Management & Research (SAGE) · 7 Mar 2026 Research & science Towards a just transition to the circular economy: Analysing waste pickers’ integration in North America Waste Management & Research, Ahead of Print. Waste pickers (WPs) contribute to the advancement of the circular economy (CE) by recovering recyclables and supporting more sustainable waste systems, yet they remain under-recognised and underpaid. Their integration is a necessary condition for a just ... Waste Management & Research (SAGE) · 7 Mar 2026 Research & science A brief cinematic history of Frankenstein’s Bride as a feminist icon New film The Bride! brings the character to life in moody 1930s Chicago. University of Warwick — The Conversation institution feed · 6 Mar 2026 Research & science Week of the Circular Economy: 19–27 March 2026 - TU Delft TU Delft News · 6 Mar 2026 Research & science Global Warming Has Accelerated Significantly - Foster - 2026 - Geophysical Research Letters - AGU Publications Journal of Industrial Ecology (Wiley) · 6 Mar 2026