OAKLAND, CA —  Four Loko and other caffeinated energy drinks are being turned into ethanol following the banning of Four Loko in New York and a warning from the Food and Drug Administration. Wholesalers left with unsellable products and the four companies that make the beverages have been sending leftover drinks to three facilities in the U.S. that recycle ethanol. One of the companies, MXI Environmental Services, told the Associated Press it recycles everything that comes in: The alcohol is extracted to be turned into ethanol, and the company also makes sure the water from the drinks along with all packaging from them gets recycled.

A voluntary agreement aimed at cutting toy and household product packaging in the U.K. is expected to be announced next month, when the government also releases the results of its waste review. The agreement will be similar to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment, which grocery stores and food producers have been participating in for more than five years.

Massachusetts became the latest state to ban bisphenol A late last year when the state's Public Health Council voted to ban the sale or manufacturing of baby bottles and sippy cups that contain the endocrine-disrupting chemical. In Israel, the country's Health Ministry told hospitals to stop using bottles made with BPA to feed infants after July 1.

Renewable chemicals company Amyris is building its first production plant, in Sao Paolo, as part of a joint venture with Grupo São Martinho. Amyris' main product is Biofene, a sugarcane-based hydrocarbon that can be used in fuels and chemicals for detergents, cosmetics, perfumes and industrial lubricants. Grupo São Martinho will provide sugarcane syrup and Amyris will provide genetically-engineered yeast that converts it into hydrocarbons. The plant is set to be up and running in mid-2012, but Amyris will commercialize Biofene for use in cosmetics earlier through contract manufacturing.

Researchers have developed stronger sugar-based surfactants in a move to accelerate the use of greener chemicals in cleaners. Surfactants are a key part of detergents, fabric softeners, shampoos and other products, but many are linked to endocrine disruption and can cause environmental damage. Although greener versions exists, work has been done to make then stronger and require less energy to manufacture. A new article in the Green Chemistry journal says a team has found a way to strengthen a chemical bond in sugar-based surfactant molecules. The surfactants work just as well as current sugar-based surfactants, but don't require as many resources to produce, particularly since they don't require a purification phase.

_{Four Loko - CC license by Flickr user Mulling it Over}