Currently, only about 9% of plastics in the U.S. are recycled, in part because the chemical makeup of many plastics makes recycling difficult. When plastics are recycled, they often become weaker in their second life. But chemists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a way to break down plastics and […]
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 […]
A Florida bear is finally free after living nearly a month with a plastic container stuck to her head. The bear was first spotted with her head in the container nearly three weeks ago, but then disappeared. She was finally rescued this week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wrote on Facebook. “Luckily […]
The holiday season is approaching, which means that stores are starting to fill with cards and decorations coated in glitter. Scientists and environmental advocates have pointed out that glitter is actually made of microplastics, and is therefore a dangerous contribution to the ocean plastic crisis. But now researchers may have developed a path towards a […]
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