Friday 12 April 2013

Metal body parts recycled after cremation


Metal body parts are being recycled into road signs, lamp posts, car parts and aircraft engines after people are cremated.

Rather than being given metal and ceramic hip replacements (pictured), which wear out, patients would receive an implant made from a new plastic material that first stimulates new bone to grow - and then degrades away.
The metal parts of hip replacements, like those pictured, are amongst the parts collected and recycled after a person is cremated 
The project has raised almost £1million for charity since it began in Britain in 2004.
Steel hips, plates and screws from legs and skulls are collected after a person is cremated and sent off for recycling.
Even metal plates from false teeth and tiny fragments from fillings can be recovered and re-used, together with metal fittings on coffins.
High value metals which survive the 1000-degree cremation are then sold for use in the automobile and aeronautical industries.
They include cobalt and titanium, found in some implants and dental work. Cobalt is used in aircraft engines.
The salvaged metal from cremations is put in large wheelie bins and collected by contractors who take it to specialist plants for recycling.
The Dutch company behind the recycling says around half Britain's 260 crematoriums have signed up to the scheme which is generating 75 tonnes of metal a year.
Relatives are asked if they want to keep metal parts of loved ones before cremations by the centres taking part in the scheme.
The vast majority say they have no need for them and sign a consent form agreeing to the recycling.
When the cremation is over the ashes and other remaining items go into a compartment in the cremator and then into a special cremulator machine which separates any metal from remaining pieces of bone.
One of the crematoriums in the scheme is at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset which has an average of four-five services a day.
Around one large bin a month is filled with the unwanted metal body parts for recycling.
The crematorium at Haycombe in nearby Bath has around 2,000 cremations a year and also recycles unwanted metal body parts.
A spokesman for the council-owned crematorium said: "We subscribe to a not-for-profit recycling scheme for all metals recovered from the cremation process.
"Applicants may opt to retain the metals but they must take them away and they cannot be returned afterwards."
The recycling schemes are governed by strict criteria set down by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.
Bristol City Council, which operates two cemeteries, is considering joining the scheme.
Currently metal body parts are buried in the grounds of the crematoriums, but new legislation means this will no longer be possible.
Ruud Verberne, owner of OrthoMetals, the Dutch company behind the recycling, said: "Metals reclaimed from cremations are being increasingly re-used.
"High value metals such as cobalt go into the aircraft or automotive industries.
"Others are sold to smelters and foundries and it is possible that they end up as roadsigns or motorway barriers - there's no way of knowing.
"What is important is that the metals are being recycled, and this is a growing business both in Britain and elsewhere in Europe."

Men take six months to do 'little jobs' around house


The typical man takes six months to get around to all the 'little jobs' in the house, new research has revealed.

The typical man takes six months to get around to all the 'little jobs' in the house, new research has revealed.

A study found a lack of time, knowledge or enthusiasm is often the reason for the failure to carry out tasks such as repairing squeaky floorboards, replacing light bulbs, and hanging pictures.
Other jobs which regularly wait six months or more include cleaning stained carpets, touching up paint and mending leaking taps.
A spokeswoman for Homebase, which commissioned the study among 2,000 homeowners, said: "We all have 'little jobs' that we put off around our homes.
"These can appear quite daunting and overtime could lead to more serious problems.
"Knowing how to tackle them is key to staying on top of things, and can mean they take little time and effort to put right.
"It's understandable that many people are unsure how to fix certain little problems that crop up in the home and the best way to build your confidence is to seek advice and practice.
"The potential cost of a project can put property owners off too, but fixing problems early mean they won't cost as much as many of us would expect."
Researchers also found 41 per cent of Brits put off their home improvement tasks because they don't know how to do them.
British homeowners have confessed to not knowing how to do some of the smallest jobs around the house.
Mending a squeaky floorboard, a dripping tap or exposed wires leave many of us scratching their heads.
Fixing a broken TV aerial, broken window panes are also thought of as 'difficult' while cracked tiles have one in ten people searching for help.
The cost of a job can also leave Brits cowering, as homeowners are looking at spending around £244 to complete all the little jobs which currently need addressing.
It also emerged in the past 12 months, the average household has already spent £190 on home improvements.
Despite all the tedious tasks waiting to be completed, 46 per cent of people said their house was still 'home sweet home'.
Four in ten said they would describe their home as tidy but tired.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Five-year-old girl who can solve Rubik's Cube in just 100 seconds



An amazing five-year-old girl can make solving a Rubik's Cube look like child's play by completing it in just one minute and 40 seconds.

Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions.
Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions. 
Bright spark Summer Razaq only picked up the 3D colour-matching puzzle at a family party six months ago.
The talented child, from Rotherham, was able to complete a cube in under five minutes before she turned five in October.
Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions.
Dad Kamran, 33, said: "She just picked up a Rubik's Cube at a party. She couldn't really do it at first, but soon got the hang of it.
"The cubes can be quite expensive, but we've bought her one or two more. It's amazing to see how quickly she can do it now."
Summer, who has siblings Zakir, three and Fahim, one, also enjoys jigsaw puzzles and is now learning a 4x4x4 cube.
She said: "It's fun. I like to sit in the treehouse in the garden at home and do it. I can finish faster now than when I first started."
Mum Nasreen, 29, said: "We're very proud of her. She picked it up so quickly."
The Rubik's Cube was invented in Hungary in 1974 and went on to become the world's best-selling toy.
Kamran, a charity worker, said: "Solving it is all to do with algorithms depending where all the colours are on the sides.
"I don't play chess, but I imagine it's the same as that. You have to think three or four steps ahead all the time.
"You've got to have the patience for it too.
"We're looking at the World Cube Association website at the moment. There's a girl in Bristol who can do it in about the same time but she's seven years old.
"It would be nice to see Summer go along the next time there's an event nearby and see how she gets on."
"We've bought all the books, like ones by Carol Vorderman and study at home. We just find the time.
"Summer's really good with her times tables. We're hoping there's a place back at school for her this September."