TASK JV, a joint venture between Sinclair Knight Merz (a part of Jacobs Engineering Group) and Thiess, has signed an alliance contract with Water Corporation of Western Australia to design, construct and commission the East Rockingham Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) near Perth. [ + ]

Flight Plastics' new plastic packaging plant was this week opened by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. It is the country's first plastic packaging plant to manufacture food-grade PET packaging from recycled PET (RPET) flake. [ + ]

The 2014 Rank Prize in human and animal nutrition and crop husbandry, based in the UK, will be awarded to two Australian scientists who have known each other since high school. [ + ]

The REC Agents Association (RAA), an industry body for companies trading in renewable energy certificates, has commissioned an analysis into the potential abolition of the Renewable Energy Target (RET), which found that it could result in the loss of up to 6750 jobs. [ + ]

First Solar has commenced construction on a 250 ha solar plant in Nyngan, NSW - the largest utility-scale solar project in Australia. The company will install approximately 1,350,000 thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules for the project, which will generate clean, renewable energy with no emissions, waste or water consumption during operation. [ + ]

American artist Chris Jordan, well known for his works depicting mass consumption and waste, is calling on Australians to help him create a large-scale artwork by handing in their old mobile phones. [ + ]

North Carolina State University researchers have conducted a study into hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles (electric drive vehicles, or EDVs) in order to predict their potential impact on emissions. [ + ]

The Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence is calling for proposals from interested water professionals to undertake an exchange project on recycled water as part of its Industry and Academic Exchange Program. [ + ]

Queensland Conservation-s Plastic Bag Free Queensland campaign is encouraging people to not use single-use plastic shopping bags during the month of March. [ + ]

Waste management company Transpacific has opened its Riverland Resource Recovery Facility. As noted by Nick Clark, this is "the first large-scale recycling facility in this district with the capacity to manage and process general waste, recyclables, commercial and industrial waste, and construction and demolition waste from the local area". [ + ]

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened the first round of a research and development program dedicated to advancing renewable energy knowledge and expertise in Australia. [ + ]

Not-for-profit e-waste collection and recycling service TechCollect will this year focus on collecting the large volumes of computer and IT waste generated by the corporate world. [ + ]

The Coca-Cola Company has installed its millionth hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-free cooler using natural refrigerant in the marketplace. The milestone marks significant progress in the company's effort to phase out the use of HFC refrigerant in Coca-Cola dispensers, vending machines and coolers. [ + ]

The Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Simon Birmingham, this week announced the first ever trading of Commonwealth water holdings. [ + ]

The prestigious Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) this week awarded the AF Harvey Engineering Research Prize, worth £300,000 ($560,000), to a silicon solar cell engineer from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the world record holder in silicon solar cell efficiency. [ + ]