plastic waste

Sharks Are Polluted With Plastic, New Study Shows

Sharks Are Polluted With Plastic, New Study Shows

By Elizabeth Claire Alberts There are trillions of microplastics in the ocean — they bob on the surface, float through the water column, and accumulate in clusters on the seafloor. With plastic being so ubiquitous, it’s inevitable that marine organisms, such as sharks, will ingest them. A new study in Scientific Reports investigated microplastic ingestion […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    The Recycling Dilemma: Good Plastic, Bad plastic?

    The Recycling Dilemma: Good Plastic, Bad plastic?

    By Jeannette Cwienk When it comes to recycling and recyclability, very little, it seems is straightforward — even something as seemingly simple as orange juice can present a conundrum. In Germany, many smaller shops sell drinks in cartons or plastic bottles, both of which will end up in the yellow recycling bin. But how do […]

    Protecting Argentina’s Imperiled Penguins From Plastic Waste

    Protecting Argentina’s Imperiled Penguins From Plastic Waste

    Tierra del Fuego is at the southernmost tip of South America and is sometimes known as the “end of the world.” This windswept part of Argentina is home to seven penguin colonies which breed, nest and feed in the area. Yet even here, the evidence of human encroachment on nature is clear. Plastic waste from […]

    Do Fuels Made From Plastic Make Eco Sense?

    Do Fuels Made From Plastic Make Eco Sense?

    By Brigitte Osterath Yogurt pots, shampoo bottles, coffee-to-go lids, bubble wrap — plastic products are all composed of the same building blocks: long carbon chains. Heating them to high temperatures makes the carbon chains crack into a mixture of shorter molecules, ultimately converting them back into crude oil, the resource from which the majority of […]

    5 Sustainable Alternatives to Plastics

    5 Sustainable Alternatives to Plastics

    By Stuart Braun 1.3 billion plastic bottles are sold daily around the world. And that’s just the tip of the fossil-based plastic iceberg. Plastic preserves our food. It’s in the nylon and polyester we wear, and it protects medical staff from the coronavirus. Petroleum-based plastics dominate the market because they’re durable, light-weight and cheap, but […]

    Plastics Industry Requests $1 Billion Bailout From Fed

    Plastics Industry Requests $1 Billion Bailout From Fed

    The plastics industry is asking the federal government for a $1 billion bailout to help recycling during the pandemic. A coalition of industry interests, including chemical and oil and gas companies that make plastics, sent a letter to Congress this month calling recycling an “essential service” and doubling their original ask of 0 million for […]

    Coronavirus Plastic Waste Polluting the Environment

    Coronavirus Plastic Waste Polluting the Environment

    By Nikolia Apostolou Over a month into the lockdown and the usually bustling streets of Kalamata, a Greek city southwest of Athens traditionally known for its olives, are largely empty. As in the rest of Greece, residents of the coastal city are allowed out only in strict circumstances, including for short exercise and grocery shopping. […]