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+18 +1
EU proposes ban on 90% of microplastic pollutants
A wide-ranging ban on microplastics covering about 90% of pollutants has been proposed by the EU in an attempt to cut 400,000 tonnes of plastic pollution in 20 years. Every year, Europe releases a bulk amount of microplastics six times bigger than the “Great Pacific garbage patch” into the environment – the equivalent of 10bn plastic bottles. The phasing out proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) would remove 36,000 tonnes a year of “intentionally added” microplastic fibres and fragments, starting in 2020.
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+19 +1
No plastic bottles, utensils or cups? That’s what some lawmakers are proposing
Plastic bags are out. Plastic straws are on their way out. Now Hawaii lawmakers want to take things a big step further. They’re considering an outright ban on all sorts of single-use plastics common in the food and beverage industry, from plastic bottles to plastic utensils to plastic containers. Senate Bill 522 has already passed through two committees and is on its way to two more.
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+15 +1
Food Waste Is a Major Problem. Confusing Date Labels Are Making It Worse.
Rummaging through your refrigerator, you come across a jar of mayonnaise labeled “BEST IF USED BY 06/10/19.” If it’s mid-July, are you risking illness by slathering it on your sandwich and eating it? It’s hard to say. Massachusetts and New Jersey are considering measures to clear up the confusion, following a California law that went into effect earlier this year. Several other states also are looking at labeling bills, as anti-food waste groups advocate for clearer signs to indicate when food is okay to eat, even if it’s not the freshest.
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+14 +1
Study: Tiny plastic pieces are now being detected in the air
In the past decade, plastics have been found in the ocean's deepest and most remote points, collecting in massive, dense clumps, and clogging the stomachs of marine life washed up onto shorelines. What's new: Tiny plastic pieces from broken down bags and packaging are now being detected in another element: the air. These microplastics are being deposited onto an isolated, pristine site in the French Pyrenees at an altitude of about 4,600 feet, per a new study. There's also been a sharp uptick in plastic pollution in the ocean since the late 1950s, according to another study published this week.
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+27 +1
Cities and countries aim to slash plastic waste within a decade
If all goes well, 2030 will be quite a special year. Global and local community leaders from more than 170 countries have pledged to “significantly reduce” the amount of single-use plastic products by 2030. Success would result in significantly less plastic pollution entering our oceans, lakes and rivers. Today, societies around the world have a love affair with disposable plastics. Just like some love stories, this one has an unhappy ending that results in plastic bags, straws and takeout containers strewn about the global environment.
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+12 +1
There’s just no getting away from microplastic contamination
Microplastics may be having a moment in the spotlight, as the public is increasingly aware of their presence in the environment around us. But as more evidence of their presence comes to light, it’s becoming clearer that we don’t yet have a handle on how big or bad the problem is. A huge amount of small plastic particles end up in the sea, but recent research has also found them in lakes and mountain river floodplains, and even as airborne pollution in megacities.
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+3 +1
Maine becomes the first state to ban Styrofoam
Food containers made of Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene, will be officially banned from businesses in Maine after governor Janet Mills signed a bill into law Tuesday. The law, which will go into effect January 1, 2021, prohibits restaurants, caterers, coffee shops and grocery stores from using the to-go foam containers because they cannot be recycled in Maine.
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+10 +1
Canada's garbage to be removed from the Philippines by end of June
A shipment of illegal garbage that ended up in the Philippines nearly six years ago will be returned to Canada by the end of June 2019.
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+6 +1
Developing nations can now legally refuse plastic waste from rich countries
The world generated 242 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2016 – a figure that’s expected to grow by 70% in the next 30 years. But this same plastic is also a commodity that’s sold and traded in a global industry that generates US$200 billion every year. Exporting plastic waste is one way rich countries dispose of their waste. By selling waste to firms that then send it to countries where recycling costs are cheaper, rich countries can avoid the unpleasant task of finding somewhere at home to dispose of it.
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+29 +1
People eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a year, study finds
The average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year and breathes in a similar quantity, according to the first study to estimate human ingestion of plastic pollution. The true number is likely to be many times higher, as only a small number of foods and drinks have been analysed for plastic contamination. The scientists reported that drinking a lot of bottled water drastically increased the particles consumed.
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+2 +1
Here’s how much plastic you might be eating every day
Researchers have estimated the amount of microplastics Americans might be consuming every day.
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+8 +1
BAVARIA, Container Ship - Here's how to track the Canadian garbage that's making its way home from the Philippines.
It's about time.
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+4 +1
Exposing The Myth Of Plastic Recycling: Why A Majority Is Burned Or Thrown In A Landfill
Very little of plastic we recycle is actually removed from the waste stream.
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+13 +1
How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Killing Plastic Recycling
So many things we buy come packaged in plastic containers or wrappers that are meant to be used once, thrown away and forgotten ― but they don’t break down and can linger in the environment long after we’re gone. It’s tempting to think that we can recycle this problem away, that if we’re more diligent about placing discarded bottles and bags into the curbside bin, we’ll somehow make up for all the trash overflowing landfills, choking waterways and killing marine life.
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+22 +1
Company Collects 80% of City's Recyclable Plastics and Turns It All into Lumber
This trailblazing Canadian company is building a new standard for sustainability since they started recycling the bulk of their municipal plastic waste into lumber. Roughly 80% of the plastic recyclables collected throughout Halifax, Nova Scotia are now being processed by Goodwood Plastic Products Ltd so they can be turned into building blocks.
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+4 +1
The Big Debate: Should single-use plastics be banned?
Plastic bans are increasing around the world, a necessary step to save our environment, writes Sarah King of Greenpeace Canada. Angela Logomasini of the Competitive Enterprise Institute argues that, although well meaning, such bans create more problem than they solve.
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+2 +1
The mattress landfill crisis: how the race to bring us better beds led to a recycling nightmare
As the sleep economy grows, companies vie to sell us new mattresses, offering 100-day returns. This has helped create an impossible waste mountain – and a wild west of rogue recyclers...
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+4 +1
Coca-Cola is again rated as the most polluted brand in the world
This marks the second consecutive year that Coca-Cola has become the most polluted brand in the world. Other companies identified as major global polluters include Solo Cup and Colgate-Palmolive. In the United States, Nestlé is the most polluted company, followed by Solo Cup and Starbucks. Recently, several large companies announced their commitment to more sustainable practices. However, garbage seems to be still accumulating. Why is this?
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+14 +1
‘A huge step forward.’ Mutant enzyme could vastly improve recycling of plastic bottles
Recycling isn’t as guilt-free as it seems. Only about 30% of the plastic that goes into soda bottles gets turned into new plastic, and it often ends up as a lower strength version. Now, researchers report they’ve engineered an enzyme that can convert 90% of that same plastic back to its pristine starting materials. Work is underway to scale up the technology and open a demonstration plant next year.
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+3 +1
Top 10 bad products we buy that are destroying our planet
Everything we buy has an impact on the environment. But some things bring us little value, even if they are "convenient"…and some of those are pure waste! So why buy them in the first place?
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