In the midst of this plastic-pollution crisis, companies are stepping in and making reusable and refillable cosmetics available to customers, so we can continue to care for (and sometimes pamper) ourselves without the same environmental cost.
Latin America does not want the U.S.’s plastic waste. As data shows that U.S. plastic exports to some countries in the region more than doubled during 2020, more than 70 organizations from around the world called for an end to this trade, and for the U.S. to manage its own waste. “Crossborder plastic waste trade […]
Ingesting microplastics may be linked to inflammatory bowel disease. A new study published in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Environmental Science & Technology Wednesday found that people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have more microplastics in their feces than people who do not. “We present evidence indicating that a positive correlation exists between […]
Online retailer Amazon generated 599 million pounds of waste from plastic packaging in 2020, an increase of 29 percent from 2019, a report by nonprofit ocean conservation organization Oceana said. The report estimated that the amount of packaging — which includes plastic bags, air pillows, and bubble-lined paper mailers — that ends up in the […]
The amount of disposable face masks littered in the environment increased by nearly 9,000 percent from March to October 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That is the finding of a new study published in Nature Sustainability December 9, which used an app to track the emergence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) pollution during […]
One of the major concerns surrounding plastic pollution is that microplastics may work their way from the ocean or soil, into tiny organisms, up the food chain and onto our plates. However, scientists are still unsure what ingesting microplastics actually does to human health. Now, a first-of-its kind study published in the Journal of Hazardous […]
A lot of the talk surrounding plastic pollution focuses on its impact on marine ecosystems. But there may actually be more microplastic pollution in the soil than in the ocean, according to UN research. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a report warning of the “disastrous” impacts of the use of plastics […]
The United States is the world’s leader in the generation of plastic waste, nearly all from fossil fuels, and must develop a plan to curb its destructive impacts on the health of oceans and marine wildlife, concludes a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The first recommendation of the committee […]
Furniture giant IKEA has pledged to phase out plastic packaging by 2028. The announcement, made November 23, is the company’s latest attempt to “have a positive impact on both people and planet.” “Phasing out plastic in consumer packaging is the next big step on our journey to make packaging solutions more sustainable and support the […]