Taxes paid by the other two-fifths, he figures, could be recycled back into the Social Security system and would not only ease the current cash squeeze but also help build reserves for the future.

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To avoid the risk of contaminants being mixed into the recycled plastic, the new recycling system performs quality control based on a chemical substances risk management database developed by Fujitsu Laboratories, thereby ensuring that notebook PCs and other ICT devices comply with legal requirements for chemical components.

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Even the shuttle will live on, in some sense, since the Space Launch System the unromantic name of the beefy rocket needed to loft astronauts and cargoes into high orbits or farther into the solar system will be built partly from recycled shuttle parts in an effort to save money and use familiar technology.

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And like a Coinstar for spent bottles and cans, Reimagine tallies up and rewards you for each item recycled, thanks a conveyor belt and optical scanner system that also sorts and crushes items.

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The number of packages returning through the system is astonishing: 90% of cans designed for single use are recycled, and nearly 100% of refillable bottles find their way back to Carlsberg.

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