Our planet is choking on plastics. Some of the worst offenders, which can take decades to degrade in landfills, are polypropylene—which is used for things such as food packaging and bumpers—and polyethylene, found in plastic bags, bottles, toys, and even mulch. Polypropylene and polyethylene can be recycled, but the process can be difficult and often … Read more
There’s a term of art for this whole system: reverse logistics. For the first 100 years of the plastics revolution, companies essentially sprayed products at customers—it was a one-way movement of atoms. Successful recycling requires doing this process in reverse, an entirely new set of skills. How do you get stuff back? What new economics, … Read more
Nearly 200 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists plan to join this week’s United Nations negotiations on the first global treaty to curb plastic pollution — a 37 per cent jump from the previous gathering in November, an analysis released on Thursday showed. The jump in registered industry representatives at the negotiations in Ottawa, Canada, … Read more
Negotiators from 176 countries will gather in downtown Ottawa this week for the fourth round of talks to create a global treaty to eliminate plastic waste in less than 20 years. Ottawa is hosting the fourth of five rounds of negotiations, with the aim of finalizing a deal by the end of the year. The … Read more
For many people, microplastics and nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles that come from larger and commercial plastics) are terrifying. It seems like news about their harmful effects comes out weekly, along with warnings about the chemicals these plastics emit. Athletic wear, plastic takeout containers and even cutting boards are just some of the items in our … Read more
As I approach middle-age, I’m starting to wander from my typical daily driver fare of too-stiff hot hatches and sports cars. I recently bought a big SUV and unfortunately like it more than I expected to. I’ve had a few American luxobarges in my teen years, because they were cheap and easy, but as I … Read more
Imitation caviar invented in the 1930s could provide the solution to plastic pollution, claims Pierre Paslier, CEO of London-based packaging company Notpla. He discovered the cheap food alternative, invented by Unilever and made using seaweed, after quitting his job as a packaging engineer at L’Oréal. With cofounder and co-CEO Rodrigo García González, Paslier and Notpla have … Read more
Georgia may be known for its hot, humid summers, but its winters are pretty mild, so you wouldn’t think the sun would be causing any problems this time of year. Unfortunately for one family living north of Atlanta, that’s not the case. Their daughter’s 2022 Honda Civic is melting, WSB-TV reports. Honda Motocompacto | Quick … Read more
As Hurricane Larry curved north in the Atlantic in 2021, sparing the eastern seaboard of the United States, a special instrument was waiting for it on the coast of Newfoundland. Because hurricanes feed on warm ocean water, scientists wondered whether such a storm could pick up microplastics from the sea surface and deposit them when … Read more
