In the United States alone 250 million pound of food waste is generated each year . While one third of it is recycle , the rest just goes into a landfill . Not everything that is tossed out is junk , and many people around the earth are repurposing discarded item from landfill which can have a profound global impact .
The World ’s First 3-D Printer Made From E - Waste
Kodjo Afate Gnikou hail from Togo in Western Africa where landfill are filled with electronic waste admit printers , scanners , and discarded computers . Much of this waste has been imported from the United Kingdom and the United States .
Rather than stay to go for the circumstances of his environment , the 33 - year - former inventor decided to take advantage of the usable supplies and crafted the world ’s first fully functional3D printer made mainly from atomic number 99 - waste .
Using part from old scanners and computers , Gnikou was capable to assemble the 3D pressman for his citizen science group in Lomé for only around $ 100 , while traditional 3D printers can cost thousands of dollars . A budget - well-disposed printing machine would give impoverished communities the ability to encompass engineering and have access code to tools they might not otherwise have .
This ingenious repurposing attracted NASA ’s attention when he participate in the NASA International Space Apps Challenge in Paris by demonstrating how rescued Es - waste could print creature and facilitate colonize Mars . His printerwon first placeas the local winner in Paris and was nominate for the global prize .
recycle Orchestra
The small slum town of Cateura in Paraguay is plagued by analphabetism . It is hem in by a landfill that has largely been import from distant office , and instead of attending school small child sift through the drivel looking for things to resell to recycling companies .
After a discarded violin shell was discovered the community began making other musical instruments from the refuse . This presented a unique chance to teach the tyke of the poorness - stricken community to act music . Without these recycled instruments the children would never have been commit the chance , as even a regular violin is worth more than a theatre in that field . Scraps of folderol have beenrecycled into instrumentsthat children in the village learn to play beautifully . They are collectively do it as the Recycled Orchestra and are preparing for a world tour . Their succeeder has not only brought aid toCateura ’s state of poverty , but also to the environmental impact of landfills .
field of study have shown that child who encounter music are more likely toexcel in maththan peers who do not . to boot , medicine John R. Major who need to continue on to medical school have an astonishing66 % acceptance pace ; higher than any other group .
Using Discarded cd to Create Potable Water
Recently a group of research worker from National Taiwan Universitydeveloped a methodthat breaks down impurities and toxins from wastewater and creates a clean , drinkable product . Approximately 20 billion disc are made each twelvemonth and100,000 pounds are thrown into landfills each calendar month . As the CDs come apart down they leach Bisphenol - A ( BPA ) into the environment .
The filtration system use the flat surface to grow Zn oxide . When exposed to ultraviolet light the atomic number 30 oxide begin to break down the contaminants with noteworthy efficiency . After only an 60 minutes 95 % of the impurity have been let on down . Per minute , that yields 150 mil of uninfected water to salute .
This organization not only repurposes discarded cd , but could also help to answer the issue of water insecurity that chivvy over780 million peopleon Earth .
