How Norway Achieved a Nearly 100 Percent Recycling Rate

The Roadless Rule, which was first implemented by the Clinton administration nearly 25 years ago, protects 30 percent of national forest land, and, as the Colorado Sun reports, environmental advocates say getting rid of it promotes large-scale mining and oil and gas drilling in areas that should be safeguarded as wilderness and backcountry experiences. The rule did not expressly prohibit industrial operations but effectively stopped them because they require roads. Forests that could be affected by the change aren’t only in the West and Alaska but also in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.

Brooke Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture, described rolling back the rule, which she announced at the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting, as restoring forest health, boosting timber farmers, and supporting firefighters. She also said building roads through forests would protect watersheds. However, the organization American Rivers said on its website that by preventing road construction and timber harvesting, the Roadless Rule has protected pristine national forest lands, a key source of clean drinking water for 180 million people.

Recission of the rule will require an administrative process that could take years and lead to litigation.

Now, scientists have observed another novel behavior in a pod of around 25 of the marine mammals—giving each other massages using kelp. Scientists from the Center for Whale Research used drones to observe orcas biting off stalks of seaweed and placing them between their belly and that of another whale and rolling it between their bodies for prolonged periods.

While whale species have been known to engage in “kelping,” where they drape seaweed over their bodies, possibly to remove parasites and maintain healthy skin, this new behavior, called “allokelping”—or kelping with another whale—is the first time marine animals have been observed creating and using a tool for social grooming.

Lead researcher Michael Weiss said in a press release that brown algae like the bull kelp whales are using, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that may benefit the whales’ skin. He says using the seaweed to groom a partner can also be a form of social bonding where, just like humans, touch moderates stress and helps to build relationships.

Researchers have long known marine mammals can make tools. Bottlenose dolphins, for example, detach marine sponges and wear them over their noses to protect them from sharp objects on the marine floor as they look for fish to eat. Whales will rub themselves on rocks to exfoliate dead skin.

According to the center’s latest count in July of 2024, just 73 southern resident killer whales now remain. Because they don’t breed with other killer whale populations, they are at risk of disappearing in part because climate change is reducing the salmon populations they eat. Now, scientists say it will be equally important to protect kelp forests because they facilitate important social behaviors that help the animals thrive.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.

The scientists used E. coli bacterium to transform a molecule derived from polyethylene terephthalate or “PET” commonly used in plastic bottles and food packaging into the active ingredient in acetaminophen. Using a fermentation process similar to brewing beer, they were able to make the drug in under 24 hours, at room temperature, and with virtually no carbon emissions.

Recently, there have been other methods found to make painkillers. Researchers at the University of Bath made acetaminophen and ibuprofen from a compound found in pine trees, which could be obtained as a byproduct of making paper. A team at the University of Wisconsin says they have developed a method to make the pain remedies from lignin, a compound in plants. However, this newer discovery touts being able to clean up plastic waste in the process of making the drug.

The study was published in the journal Nature Chemistry.

The team ran experiments offering people who returned bottles the option of getting a typical ten-cent payout—or the small chance of winning a big cash prize. The result was that people recycled 47 percent more bottles. The study was conducted in Canadian cities where bottle deposit programs are already in place, but recycling rates were low. 

Lead author Dr. Jiaying Zhao, a professor in the department of psychology, said in a press release that the thrill of possibly winning a big prize is more motivating than a small guaranteed reward. It’s the same reason people buy lottery tickets. She and her team found that people felt happier about the chance of winning—a feeling called “anticipatory happiness”—and that even if they didn’t win, it made the recycling experience more enjoyable. That said, Zhao says it’s important to keep the guaranteed refund option for people who rely on it for income.

Currently, Norway is the only country in the world doing a recycling lottery and their bottle return rate is nearly 100 percent. They did it by installing “reverse vending machines” to let people return bottles and choose between redeeming it for cash on the spot or being entered into the lottery. It’s been popular partly because it’s a win either way—opting into the lottery means bottle return payouts go to a charity instead.

The team says the lottery model wouldn’t cost any more than a redemption system, making it easy for cities to adopt, which they estimate could help recycle millions more bottles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking one million cars off the road each year.

The study was published in the journal Waste Management.