As managing editor of I've seen a few stories in the past week about a company in England that has a prototype of a washing machine that uses nylon pellets to clean clothes.
The company Xerox Ltd., says the "virtually waterless" technology saves up to 90 percent of the water used in a conventional machine, plus it cleans faster and uses less detergent.
According to the stories, the technology was developed by Professor Stephen Burkinshaw from the University of Leeds, who discovered that certain types of polymer beads could be used for cleaning. The pellets can be reused, and when they've reached the end of their useful life as cleaners, they can be recycled.
Xeros hopes to have the machines on the market by the end of next year. It's nice to see plastics playing a role in a new product that has such strong green credentials.