Waste-to-energy incineration has been raised as a solution to the global plastic waste problem, but the technology adds pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and encourages more waste production.
Plenty of ink has been spilled over Australia’s recycling and waste problem, but real action remains frustratingly out of reach.
AAP Image/James Ross
An inconclusive COAG meeting comes after years of inquiries, announcements, initiatives, investigations and reviews. Australia is no closer to actually tackling our waste problems.
Adult and infant sperm whales have been spotted in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Inf-Lite Teacher/Flickr
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating accumulation of rubbish the size of a continent, has whales and dolphins in its heart.
A woman sorts plastic bottles at a workshop in Hanoi. The world is being overwhelmed by plastic waste, and companies should do more to address it.
EPA/LUONG THAI LINH
Advertisers that tell a good story can persuade the public of all sorts of things. But some messages are disingenuous and misleading.
Indonesia announced ‘war against marine plastic debris’ in 2016 as a recent study dubbed the country as the second largest waste producer in the world.
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Indonesia is struggling to keep its waste from the oceans. The government has announced ambitious plan to curb plastic waste. However, lack of research to support the policy.
Plastic waste is flowing into our oceans at ever increasing rates. Only a global, industry-led solution can turn off the tap.
Drift ice forming in the Baltic Sea, where microplastic concentrations are at levels similar to those in the Arctic. The incorporation of microplastics into sea ice affects how well the ice absorbs or reflects solar energy.
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Levels of microplastics in the ocean are rising. More study is needed to figure out how these microplastics affect the qualities and properties of sea ice, and what the potential impact may be.
Yossi Sheffi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
InterContinental Hotels Group plans to switch miniature toiletries for bulk products, but it isn’t likely to do as much for the environment as activists might think.
Even remote beaches are often strewn with plastic debris.
Susan White/USFWS
Legal bans and moratoriums on other emerging technologies need not be permanent or absolute, but the more powerful a technology is, the more care it requires to operate safely.
This year’s national conference of the Australian Marine Science Association is a plastic-free zone, as marine scientists aim to reduce the environmental burden of throwaway plastic.