INTERESTING!

Star's tortoise in recycling rescue

Gavin And Stacey star Ruth Jones has thanked workers at a recycling plant for saving her pet tortoise after he turned up on a conveyor belt.

The 55-year-old reptile called Tom was apparently rescued with seconds to spare earlier this week at the Cardiff Council facility on Lamby Way.

He had already survived the rotating spikes section of the plant, designed to open the green bags, and travelled through a glass crusher.

He was then heading for a screen which sorts out large and heavy material from lighter items when an eagle-eyed council worker spotted him and shouted: "There's a tortoise on the line!"

Tom's epic journey began five weeks ago when he climbed into a recycling bag at the home Jones shares with her husband David in the Penylan area of the city.

In the meantime, the couple had erected posters around the city appealing for the return of their beloved pet as well as alerting Cardiff Council.

Plant worker Paul Cowling said: "It was a huge surprise to see a tortoise on the line, we get some incorrect materials coming through here, but it is the first time for a tortoise.

"Once Tom was taken off the line, he was washed, fed and given water and put in safe keeping until we found his owner. We are all pleased Tom survived and the fact that the tortoise belongs to Ruth Jones is something else."

Jones, who shot to fame playing the character Myfanwy in Little Britain, collected Tom on Wednesday.

She said: "I would like to thank all of the staff at the recycling depot at Lamby Way for saving Tom. We really thought we had lost him and the family is relieved to have him back home."

The Art of Recycling

New Art Exhibit Promotes 'Fridge Recycling

Washington DC’s National Building Museum has a new exhibit with an old theme: obsolete refrigerators have been transformed into works of art that will be on display through September 2.

The exhibit is a promotion by the Department of Energy for its Recycle My Old Fridge campaign. There will be 50 decorated refrigerators on display, and visitors can vote on their top model. The winners will be announced on September 2.

This Gives New Meaning to "Dumpster Diving"

Funny stuff!

ConAgra Foods to use recycled content in meal trays

ConAgra Foods expects to eliminate 8 million pounds of plastic waste each year by using recycled content in its frozen meal trays.

The Omaha, Neb.-based food maker is now using between 30% and 40% post consumer recycled plastic in trays for Healthy Choice, Banquet, Kid Cuisine and Marie Callender’s brand frozen meals.

The company said it is the only in North America using post-consumer recycled plastic in frozen meal trays.

"Our commitment to innovation means we are looking at all aspects of our products as we consider new ways to improve them, including finding ways to be more environmentally responsible," said Gail Tavill, ConAgra Foods vice president of sustainability.

Now, If They Only Offer Recycling for Them...

Office Depot to offer own brand of CFLs in stores, online

Aug. 15 -- Office Depot Inc. has launched its own brand of compact fluorescent light bulbs, a first in the office products industry.

The Delray Beach, Fla.-based company will sell the CFLs at its retail stores nationwide and on its Web site. The offering is part of its Office Depot Green product line. CFLs use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"Compact fluorescent lights represent a tremendous opportunity for Office Depot to serve our increasingly environmentally aware customer base," said Richard Diamond, vice president of merchandising.

Pizza Hut to offer organic twist, recycled packaging

Love pizza, but don't think it's good for you? Pizza Hut is now trying to appeal to the health conscious. The Dallas-based company plans to launch a new "all-natural" pie made with organic tomatoes, toppings made without artificial preservatives and a multigrain crust.

"While customers are increasingly seeking options for more natural foods, they still love pizza," said Brian Niccol, Pizza Hut's chief marketing officer. "That's why we're offering the natural. It allows us to stay on the cutting edge of food trends while delivering on the amazing Pizza Hut taste our customers expect and demand."

Even the boxes the pizzas are delivered in will be made from 75 percent recycled material.

The new pizzas will launch this summer in Tampa and Dallas, then be rolled out to a national audience.

How Do You Accelerate?

From The Daily Grist:

New pedal from Nissan pushes back against excessive acceleration

Want to be an eco-driver but can't seem to keep the pedal off the metal? Meet Nissan Motor Co.'s ECO pedal, which pushes back against excess foot pressure to encourage fuel-efficient driving. The ECO accelerator will be installed in some Nissan cars starting next year and be accompanied by a real-time dashboard display of fuel consumption.

Nissan says the gadget could increase fuel efficiency 5 to 10 percent, and the device can easily be switched off by those who don't like Big Brother watching their lead foot. But the initial response from car enthusiasts is skepticism.

"This may be one of the worst ideas we've yet heard of," says car blog Jalopnik, noting concern about "what will happen when a driver needs to overtake another vehicle at high speed on a highway" and concluding, "This feature needs to die before it even hits the streets."