Business Insider

One ton of circuit boards contains about 100 times more gold than a ton of ore mined from the ground. Now, scrappers like Wade Cawley in Sydney, Australia, are cashing in. He’s partnered with Mint Innovation, a company that uses microbes to recover precious metals from electronics. In a single day, Mint can salvage up to $85,000 of gold in their new recycling facility.

About 20 years ago, Bangladesh became the first nation on Earth to ban single-use plastic bags. Since then, plastic pollution has actually gotten worse. In an effort to find a biodegradable replacement, the government turned to jute, a cash crop that's grown here for centuries. Can one scientist bring more of this "golden fiber" to a country drowning in plastic?

We make nearly 2 billion tires every year, while old ones continue to pile up. They can act as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and cause hard-to-put-out fires. Some countries recycle a majority of them, and one Nigerian entrepreneur is aiming to get hers to do the same.

Cardboard has a high recycling rate in the US. But it can't be reused forever, so the massive paper companies that make it also consume millions of trees each year.

Globally, an estimated 20 million informal waste pickers are responsible for more than half of all plastic waste collected. Now, a 30-year fight for fair wages and legal protection has culminated in these workers' first international union. This video explores their essential role in how the world handles trash.

In 2007, Israel set up blockades around the Gaza Strip, claiming that many everyday items could also be used to make weapons. As a result, some businesses have resorted to using trash for manufacturing and construction, from prayer mats made out of buckets to doors made out of refrigerators.

A Vietnamese company is turning pineapple waste into natural alternatives to hand soap, laundry detergent, and more. Research suggests the enzymes from fermented fruit can fight germs and clean up waterways.

We make more than a billion pairs of jeans every year. Like most clothing, the vast majority ends up in landfills. In Pakistan, which imports more used clothing than any other nation, one company has figured out a way to recycle old denim, saving water and energy.

Asphalt pavement is one of the world's most recycled materials. Its ingredients can be reused over and over, and recycling it is cheaper than making it new. But regulations often limit the recycled content of roads to around 30%. We visited a company making 100% recycled asphalt to see how they do it.

One of Delhi's largest landfills burned for two months. It was supposed to close more than 10 years ago, but today, thousands of people still make a living sorting and selling its waste. The fires threaten their lives and livelihoods.

Two college students founded one of Louisiana's only glass recycling companies. They're turning glass into sand and using it for coastal restoration.

A mudslide killed his adoptive family when he was 17 years old. Now this up-and-coming entrepreneur recycles coconut waste to help prevent deadly landslides. Meet Alhaji Siraj Bah, founder of Rugsal Trading, who overcame tragedy and is using an alternative to wood for cooking fuel.

For more, visit https://www.facebook.com/Rugsal

Nuclear plants in Ukraine aren't at risk for a Chernobyl-style meltdown, but destabilizing the kind of waste stored at Chernobyl and Ukraine’s four other nuclear plants could create a widespread environmental disaster.

Most big oil spills are cleaned using chemicals or mats made with petroleum. One nonprofit uses human hair, which can soak up around five times its weight in oil, as an eco-friendly alternative.

One in four women in India don't have the supplies they need for their period. One startup is turning farm waste into biodegradable pads that could prevent the mountains of plastic trash conventional pads create. For more, visit: https://saathipads.com/ https://www.instagram.com/saathipads/

Water hyacinths have ravaged through native ecosystems in at least 50 countries. They continue to spread and grow rapidly without much interference. Rokhak Women Handicraft is taking these plants out of the ecosystem and employing Cambodian women to make bags and rugs out of the weed. For more, visit: https://www.rokhak.com/

A coal mine that shut down over 100 years ago still spews toxic waste into streams and rivers. Now, a team of artists and scientists is harvesting the muck and turning the pollution into paint.

Steel is responsible for about a quarter of all industry-related greenhouse gas emissions. We make more and more of it every year, and even steel made from scraps isn't exactly "green." An Australian steelmaker is working with scientists to clean up the industry.

A biotech company in upstate New York designs products made from the root structures of mushrooms. It takes about a week to grow their alternative to styrofoam packaging. And their vegan meat can be sliced into whole cuts and crisps up like bacon when fried.

More than one in 10 Americans moved over the course of the pandemic. Many of them are wealthy — they’re buying houses fast, and paying a lot for them. It's all contributing to the hottest market since the housing crisis in 2006.

Many people think Styrofoam — or polystyrene foam — can't be recycled. It can, but because the product is mostly air, it's hard to do it profitably. One company in Mexico City figured out how.

San Francisco pioneered the nation's first citywide composting program. Now the city composts and recycles more trash than it sends to the landfill, saving water, space, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Why aren't other cities doing the same?

A lavender farm in West Virginia is restoring land destroyed by coal mining and providing jobs in a state struggling as the fossil fuel energy is on its way out. There are over 6 million acres of abandoned coal mines across the US, and more could go to waste if coal companies don’t restore their land. Learn more about Appalachian Botanical Company at: https://appalachianbotanical.com/

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world — trillions get dropped every year. One company in India has found a way to recycle them into plush toys and mosquito repellent.

People seeking "green burial" options can choose to be laid to rest in artificial reefs, where their remains will become a habitat for sea creatures.

Though France has banned supermarkets from throwing out food, 150,000 metric tons of bread wind up in the trash every year. Le Crumbler grinds old bread into fine crumbs to be used in new recipes.

The United States has had 45 presidents since 1789. New parties have come and gone, new states expanded the map. Here’s the story of how and why every state has voted the way it did in all 58 presidential elections.

Biodegradable dishware from Lifepack, a Colombian company, is made from recycled pineapple scraps. The plates have real seeds in them, and can be planted after use.

Since 1896, it's been an American tradition for candidates to publicly concede an election — until the 2020 presidential race. In case President Trump does eventually concede to winner Joe Biden, we looked back at some past speeches from past candidates, like John McCain, Hilary Clinton, and Mitt Romney, to show him how it's done.

An Israeli startup has developed 3D printers that can make 13 pounds of plant-based steak per hour.

Spain leads the world in olive oil production, but falling prices have led olive farmers to take to the streets and demand change.

A lavender farm in West Virginia is restoring land destroyed by coal mining and providing jobs in a state struggling as the fossil fuel energy is on its way out. There are over 6 million acres of abandoned coal mines across the US, and more could go to waste if coal companies don’t restore their land. Learn more about Appalachian Botanical Company at: https://appalachianbotanical.com/

As New Yorkers adjust to a ban on single-use plastic bags, one designer is turning them into luxury totes. The state joins a growing movement to eliminate at least some of the 1 trillion plastic bags used worldwide every year.

Flip-flops are one of the oldest styles of shoes in the world, and today they are the most popular. We make over 1 billion of them every year, and one company in Kenya turns these old sandals into colorful works of art.