Plastic waste is a global problem. Now a chemist has developed a new strategy for breaking down the most common plastic so it can be not just recycled, but upcycled into desirable goods.
Plastic pollution remains a topmost environmental concern
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As much as 53 million tonnes of plastic waste could spill into the world's rivers, lakes and oceans by 2030 — even if countries meet their commitments.
Since 1989, the balloon industry has relied on a problematic study that claimed balloons degraded “at about the same rate as oak tree leaves” after six weeks. We put it to the test.
An estimated 640,000 tonnes of lost and abandoned fishing gear enters the oceans annually.
(Piqsels)
An enormous amount of fishing gear is cut loose in the ocean each year. The losses cut into fishers' profits and kill marine wildlife. A new project aims to get ghost gear out of the ocean.
Plastics are strong, durable, waterproof, lightweight, easy to mould, and recyclable – all key properties for construction materials.
Volunteers load plastic bags for a weekly food pantry service in Everett, Mass., May 10, 2020. Everett has some of the highest COVID-19 infections rates in the state.
Joseph Prezioso /AFP via Getty Images
Pandemic precautions have given new life to disposable plastic products, which the industry claims are more 'hygienic' than reusables. But critics say there's no scientific evidence this is so.
The COVID-019 pandemic has boosted use of disposable packaging and personal protective equipment, at the same time that many recycling programs are facing budget cuts. The upshot: More plastic trash.
A media study of public criticism of plastic reveals that stigmatisation may result in limited bans, it leaves the vast majority of plastic production and pollution unexplored.
An unemployed man in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, collects trash for resale before South Africa went into a Covid-19 lockdown.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
Stikeez, the latest collection of plastic collectables from Coles, flies in the face of the company's plan to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.