Phthalates are a particularly harmful type of chemical, used, among a range of other ways, to soften plastic in children’s toys and products like pacifiers and teething rings. In response to mounting concern about the serious health impacts of phthalates—most notably, interference with hormone production and reproductive development in young children—Congress voted overwhelmingly in 2008 […]
A week-long beach clean up and audit at Freedom Island in Manila Bay has exposed the companies most responsible for plastic pollution in the critical wetland habitat and Ramsar site—one of the worst locations for plastic pollution in the Philippines. The Greenpeace Philippines and #breakfreefromplastic movement audit, the first of its kind in the country, […]
Last month, the Trump administration raised environmental alarm bells when–under alleged beverage industry pressure—it rescinded the 2011 “Water Bottle Ban” in national parks, an Obama-era guideline that allowed parks to prohibit the sale of disposable plastic water bottles on park facilities to reduce waste and carbon emissions. Enter Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, who introduced […]
We know that plastics clog our oceans, lakes and the stomachs of marine animals, but a first-of-its-kind investigation from Orb Media found the pervasive material in tap water supplies around the world, too. Orb, a digital media nonprofit, worked with researchers at the State University of New York and the University of Minnesota and analyzed […]
A new study highlights how our laundry contributes to major oceanic pollution. The Hudson River could be dumping about 300 million clothing fibers into the Atlantic Ocean per day, according to new research published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. For the study, researchers collected 142 water samples throughout the length of the Hudson River and […]
By Louisa Casson We know our oceans and coastlines are choking on plastic. We’ve all seen plastic bottles, food wrappers and plastic bags polluting beaches, and been horrified by the stories of marine creatures like seabirds and whales starving when their stomachs become packed full of plastic. Scientists have shown that up to 12 million […]
Kenya is taking its new plastic bag ban very seriously. Starting Monday, anyone who manufactures, sells or even carries a plastic bag in the East African country could be slapped with a fine of up to $38,000 or get sent to jail for up to four years. It took the Kenyan government three attempts over […]
Starting next year, Seattle restaurants will no longer provide plastic straws and plastic utensils to its patrons after a 2010 ordinance finally takes effect. “As of July 1, 2018, food services businesses should not be providing plastic straws or utensils,” Sego Jackson, the strategic advisor for Waste Prevention and Product Stewardship for Seattle Public Utilities, […]
By Dan Nosowitz Sixty-eight percent of coffee drinkers in the U.S. use some kind of addition, either a creamer or a sweetener, or both. And if that addition is coming in the form of a single-serve plastic container, it’s likely ending up in a landfill. These pods—you’ve seen them at hotels, airplanes, restaurants, conventions—are convenient […]
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