plastics

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    New Zealand to Ban Most Single-Use Plastics by 2025

    New Zealand to Ban Most Single-Use Plastics by 2025

    In its latest environmental commitment, New Zealand has announced a ban on the majority of single-use plastics by 2025. The new measure builds on the country’s 2019 decision to phase-out plastic bags and includes everything from disposable cutlery to ear buds and fruit labels, The Guardian reported. “These types of plastics often end up as […]

    Scientists Turn Plastic Bottles Into Vanilla Flavoring

    Scientists Turn Plastic Bottles Into Vanilla Flavoring

    Researchers have devised a sweet solution to the plastic pollution crisis — turn it into vanilla flavoring. In a study published in Green Chemistry last week, scientists at the University of Edinburgh detailed how they used common bacteria to transform polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into a useful chemical for the first time, and that chemical […]

    44% of Ocean Plastics Are Linked to Takeout Food

    44% of Ocean Plastics Are Linked to Takeout Food

    In recent years, it’s been a fad to skip the straw to save the turtles, but what you may not know is that straws are not the biggest offenders when it comes to ocean plastic, according to a new study. Instead, researchers are turning their attention to takeout containers and convenience food as the worst […]

    New ‘Vegan Spider Silk’ Could Help Solve Our Plastic Problem

    New ‘Vegan Spider Silk’ Could Help Solve Our Plastic Problem

    By Hom Dhakal Plastics are very useful materials. They’ve contributed significant benefits to modern society. But the unprecedented amount of plastics produced over the past few decades has caused serious environmental pollution. Packaging alone was responsible for 46% out of 340 million tonnes of plastic waste generated globally in 2018. Although plastic recycling has increased […]

    Why Plastic Pollution Is Even Worse Than You Think

    Why Plastic Pollution Is Even Worse Than You Think

    Along the banks of the Mississippi River, right before it spills out past New Orleans into the sea lies Cancer Alley. An 85 mile strip of shoreline where residents are contracting cancer at astronomical rates. But this isn’t a phenomenon based in genetics or some cruel twist of fate. Cancer Alley is the product of […]

    Ocean Plastic: What You Need to Know

    Ocean Plastic: What You Need to Know

    Ocean bound plastic is plastic waste that is headed toward our oceans. The term “ocean bound plastic” was popularized by Jenna Jambeck, Ph.D., a professor from the University of Georgia. In 2015, she and a team of researchers estimated the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean from land.