RMIT University researchers have created asphalt mixed with cigarette butts — a product which has been found to handle heavy traffic as well as reduce thermal conductivity. [ + ]

Indonesian researchers have revealed how grey mangrove trees, Avicennia marina, filter heavy metals out of the surrounding soil and water. [ + ]

Thanks to a $170,000 Sustainability Victoria grant and $258,000 from the Australian Packaging Covenant, GT Recycling has invested in specialised equipment to recycle heavy-duty woven polypropylene. [ + ]

The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) program has changed its name to Victorian Energy Upgrades and introduced several new activities. [ + ]

Commonwealth, state and territory environment ministers met in Melbourne last week to progress work on several environmental matters, including battery stewardship. [ + ]

The British Government has announced that new diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2040 — and energy think tank Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) wants Australia to join them. [ + ]

Matt Robinson, Advisian's director of energy and water for Asia Pacific, predicts what the energy mix in Australia will look like in five years — with interesting results. [ + ]

Responsible investment funds are outperforming their average mainstream counterparts year on year as the market for responsible investment continues to grow in Australia, according to the Responsible Investment Benchmark Report 2017. [ + ]

Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand (SCCANZ) has convened a roundtable to discuss and identify opportunities for ensuring smart cities standards play a necessary role in catalysing and scaling solutions to advance sustainability through technology, data and digital transformation. [ + ]

Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D'Ambrosio has announced the second-round winners of the $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund grants. [ + ]

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is canvassing proposals to secure enough renewable energy to fully offset the energy use of buildings developed under its $1.3 billion City Campus Master Plan program. [ + ]

BayWa r.e., a global renewable energy developer, has sold the 20 MWp Hughenden solar plant to Australian infrastructure investment specialist Lighthouse Infrastructure. [ + ]

The City of Melbourne has become one of only two councils in Australia to run a citywide initiative to recycle millions of cigarette butts into industrial products, according to Lord Mayor Robert Doyle AC. [ + ]

The Living Stage is said to be the world's first recyclable, biodegradable, biodiverse and edible performance space. [ + ]

The 2017 Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo (AWRE) Seminar Series will feature 10 seminar sessions across two days on the latest government policies, best practice case studies and industry hot topics. [ + ]