tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/plastic-280/articlesPlastic – The Conversation2024-03-06T17:15:02Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2247052024-03-06T17:15:02Z2024-03-06T17:15:02ZFive hotspots where floating plastic litter poses the greatest risk to North Atlantic marine life – new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579868/original/file-20240305-15007-nfvgpd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">So much ocean plastic originates from sources on land, but once floating in the sea it poses a risk to marine wildlife and habitats. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/plastic-rubbish-pollution-ocean-environment-427946419">Rich Carey/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Plastic has been found in every single part of the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor and from the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/536263a">tropics to the poles</a>. Land-based sources of plastic account for the <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1260352">majority of this pollution</a>, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among the most <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378021001394">common items found</a>. </p>
<p>These items are often buoyant and float on the sea surface. As they travel long distances, they get pushed by the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.697430/full">wind, waves and currents</a>. This means they have the potential to cause harm far beyond the country from <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.762235/full">which they originated</a>. For example, land-based plastic waste from Indonesia has been shown to travel over <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X22011791">4,000km to the Seychelles</a>.</p>
<p>As it travels, plastic litter can cause harm to wildlife. Megafauna (large marine animals) can <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_4#:%7E:text=Entangled%20biota%20are%20hindered%20in,1985%3B%20Laist%201997">eat or become entangled in it</a>. Consuming plastic litter can <a href="https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution">block or damage</a> the gastrointestinal tract of animals, causing significant health impacts or death. </p>
<p>While ghost fishing gear (lost fishing nets that float freely) is the most common entanglement threat to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X16304386">marine megafauna</a>, they can also become <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X17300127">entangled</a> in land-sourced plastics such as plastic bags, frisbees, potato nets, elastic bands and other <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/3/3/26#:%7E:text=The%20current%20study%20summarizes%20data,quadrupled%20compared%20with%20previous%20studies.">circular plastics</a>. This can cause severe trauma to the animal, and in some cases <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X23007609?via%3Dihub">entanglement causes death</a>. </p>
<p>If plastic is transported towards the shore, it can get caught or lodged in shallow environments where it can entangle or cover plant or animal habitats, <a href="https://portlandpress.com/emergtoplifesci/article/6/4/371/231922/Plastic-pollution-of-four-understudied-marine">causing damage</a>. Plastic entanglement can cause breakage, and if it covers a habitat it will restrict access to food or light. </p>
<p>At <a href="https://www.pml.ac.uk/">Plymouth Marine Laboratory</a>, our team of marine researchers have developed a risk assessment approach to understand where this plastic litter could cause the most harm in the North Atlantic, and which countries that plastic originated from. Our research highlighted five areas of high risk – the US Atlantic, the US Gulf of Mexico, the UK, French Atlantic and Portuguese Azores.</p>
<h2>Reducing risk</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724014219#bb0890">In our new study</a>, we assessed the risk of land-sourced plastic litter to marine megafauna. That includes seabirds, whales and dolphins, seals and sea lions, manatees and dugongs, sharks and rays, tuna and billfish. We also assessed the risk to shallow water habitats including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, saltmarsh and kelp seaweed beds.</p>
<p>Using a particle tracking model, we tracked the flow of buoyant plastic litter released from the rivers of 16 countries bordering the North Atlantic between 2000 and 2015 using the most <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803">recent data available</a>. Billions of virtual particles were released at the mouths of the rivers each month, with surface currents and wind used to drive their movement. After 15 years of tracking, our model showed us where plastic was likely to accumulate.</p>
<p>We also assessed the vulnerability of each of the megafauna groups and shallow water habitats to this plastic. For marine megafauna, we developed vulnerability scores by quantifying the amount of scientific evidence of ingestion or entanglement in land-sourced plastic. For habitats, we developed vulnerability scores by quantifying the scientific evidence available for this plastic causing harm by entanglement or smothering. </p>
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<img alt="Blue sea, green turtle swimming with fishing net attached behind it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579866/original/file-20240305-16-gp5lsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Marine wildlife such as this green sea turtle can become entangled in ghost fishing gear that is left floating in the sea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-sea-turtle-entangled-discarded-fishing-1688232751">Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To assess risk, we mapped the vulnerability and distribution of each megafauna group or habitat against the abundance of plastic. Each point within the map was given a risk score from zero to five. The greatest risk occurred in areas where high numbers of vulnerable megafauna or habitats overlapped with high concentrations of plastic.</p>
<h2>Managing the plastic problem</h2>
<p>We found that much of the modelled plastic litter causing risk in the UK originated from UK rivers. In other high-risk zones such as the Azores and the US Gulf of Mexico, plastic primarily originated from other regions. More than 99% of plastic litter in the Azores was estimated to come from the other countries, mainly Caribbean islands and the US. </p>
<p>The potential of this plastic to travel vast distances across the ocean makes management of this pollutant <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/reel.12257">particularly difficult</a>. More than 90% of plastic waste in the Dominican Republic and Haiti are <a href="https://publications.iadb.org/en/publications/english/viewer/Plastic-Waste-Management-and-Leakage-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean.pdf">estimated to be mismanaged</a>. This waste has the potential to cause ecological harm across both sides of the Atlantic. </p>
<p>UN member nations have agreed to forge an international legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution, called the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/nations-agree-end-plastic-pollution">Global Plastics Treaty</a>, with negotiations expected to be completed by the end of this year. This study highlights the importance of the treaty in ensuring international cooperation to reduce plastic consumption and waste, including the provision of financial support to help lower-income nations such as the Caribbean islands implement measures. Identification of high-risk zones will also help prioritise areas where interventions and monitoring should be targeted.</p>
<p>Even if all plastic intervention measures are implemented, it is likely that substantial amounts of plastic will still <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba9475">enter our oceans</a>. The production, sale and distribution of many of single-use items are likely to be phased out under the <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43239/ZERODRAFT.pdf">Global Plastics Treaty</a>, as nations move to restrict avoidable plastic products. </p>
<p>While global measures are hugely important in the fight against plastic, the choices of consumers also play a significant role. Reducing, re-using and recycling plastic are powerful ways to cut your plastic footprint. At both ends of the spectrum, the choices made at international and household level can be good news for marine wildlife.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Garrard receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council</span></em></p>As it travels around the ocean, plastic litter can harm wildlife and marine habitats in many ways. This study highlights five key hotspots where floating plastic poses the biggest risk.Samantha Garrard, Senior Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher, Plymouth Marine LaboratoryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2244952024-03-05T21:19:45Z2024-03-05T21:19:45ZThe Anthropocene is not an epoch − but the age of humans is most definitely underway<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580004/original/file-20240305-26-j0m1i7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C180%2C5727%2C3599&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Human influence on the climate started even before the Industrial Revolution.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/factoryscape-in-the-potteries-smoke-from-chimneys-in-the-news-photo/1036135896?adppopup=true">Print Collector/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When people talk about the “Anthropocene,” they typically picture the <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-anthropocene-a-very-short-introduction-9780198792987?cc=us&lang=en&">vast impact human societies are having</a> on the planet, from <a href="https://www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment">rapid declines in biodiversity</a> to <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/">increases in Earth’s temperature</a> by burning fossil fuels.</p>
<p>Such massive planetary changes did not begin all at once at any single place or time.</p>
<p>That’s why <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-the-anthropocene-start-in-1950-or-much-earlier-heres-why-debate-over-our-world-changing-impact-matters-209869">it was controversial</a> when, after over a decade of study and debate, an international committee of scientists – <a href="http://quaternary.stratigraphy.org/working-groups/anthropocene/">the Anthropocene Working Group</a> – proposed to mark the Anthropocene as an epoch in the <a href="https://stratigraphy.org/chart#latest-version">geologic time scale</a> starting precisely in 1952. The marker was radioactive fallout from hydrogen bomb tests.</p>
<p>On March 4, 2024, the commission responsible for recognizing time units within our most recent period of geologic time – the <a href="http://quaternary.stratigraphy.org/">Subcommission on Quarternary Stratigraphy</a> – rejected that proposal, with 12 of 18 members voting no. These are the scientists most expert at reconstructing Earth’s history from the evidence in rocks. They determined that adding an Anthropocene Epoch – and terminating the Holocene Epoch – was not supported by the standards used to define epochs.</p>
<p>To be clear, this vote has no bearing on the overwhelming evidence that human societies are indeed transforming this planet.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://ges.umbc.edu/ellis/">an ecologist who studies global change</a>, I served on the <a href="http://quaternary.stratigraphy.org/working-groups/anthropocene/">Anthropocene Working Group</a> from its start in 2009 until 2023. <a href="https://anthroecology.org/why-i-resigned-from-the-anthropocene-working-group/">I resigned</a> because I was convinced that this proposal defined the Anthropocene so narrowly that it would damage broader scientific and public understanding. </p>
<p>By tying the start of the human age to such a recent and devastating event – nuclear fallout – this proposal risked sowing confusion about the deep history of how humans are transforming the Earth, from climate change and biodiversity losses to pollution by plastics and tropical deforestation.</p>
<h2>The original idea of the Anthropocene</h2>
<p>In the years since the term Anthropocene was coined by Nobel Prize-winning <a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/15445/2023/">atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen</a> in 2000, it has increasingly defined our times as an age of human-caused planetary transformation, from climate change to biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, megafires and much more.</p>
<p>Crutzen originally proposed that the Anthropocene began in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/415023a">latter part of the 18th century</a>, as a product of the Industrial age. He also noted that setting a more precise start date would be “<a href="https://www.mpic.de/3865097/the-anthropocene">arbitrary</a>.” </p>
<p>According to geologists, we humans have been living in the Holocene Epoch for about 11,700 years, since the end of the last ice age. </p>
<p>Human societies began influencing Earth’s biodiversity and climate through agriculture <a href="https://cligs.vt.edu/blog/climate-change--a-new-twist-on-a-very-old-story.html">thousands of years ago</a>. These changes began to accelerate about five centuries ago with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/anthropocene-began-with-species-exchange-between-old-and-new-worlds-38674">colonial collision of the old and new worlds</a>. And, as Crutzen noted, Earth’s climate really began to change with the increasing use of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/The-Industrial-Revolution">fossil fuels in the Industrial Revolution</a> that began in the late 1700s.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579988/original/file-20240305-20-6j3yag.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A chart reflecting timing of the ‘Anthropocene Event’ shows how various human activities have affected the planet over mlllennia in the recent geologic time scale. Click the image to enlarge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3416">Philip Gibbard, et al., 2022</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Anthropocene as an epoch</h2>
<p>The rationale for proposing to define an Anthropocene Epoch starting around 1950 came from overwhelming evidence that many of the most consequential changes of the human age shifted upward dramatically about that time in a so-called “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053019614564785">Great Acceleration” identified by climate scientist Will Steffen</a> and others. </p>
<p>Radioisotopes like plutonium from hydrogen bomb tests conducted around this time left clear traces in soils, sediments, trees, corals and other potential geological records across the planet. The plutonium peak in the sediments of Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada – <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-the-anthropocene-start-in-1950-or-much-earlier-heres-why-debate-over-our-world-changing-impact-matters-209869">chosen as the “golden spike</a>” for determining the start of the Anthropocene Epoch – is well marked in the lake bed’s exceptionally clear sediment record. </p>
<h2>The Anthropocene Epoch is dead; long live the Anthropocene</h2>
<p>So why was the Anthropocene Epoch rejected? And what happens now?</p>
<p>The proposal to add an Anthropocene Epoch to the geological time scale was rejected for a variety of reasons, none of them related to the fact that human societies are changing this planet. In fact, the opposite is true. </p>
<p>If there is one main reason why geologists rejected this proposal, it is because its recent date and shallow depth are too narrow to encompass the deeper evidence of human-caused planetary change. As geologist <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa7297">Bill Ruddiman and others wrote in Science Magazine in 2015</a>, “Does it really make sense to define the start of a human-dominated era millennia after most forests in arable regions had been cut for agriculture?”</p>
<p>Discussions of an Anthropocene Epoch aren’t over yet. But it is very unlikely that there will be an official Anthropocene Epoch declaration anytime soon.</p>
<p>The lack of a formal definition of an Anthropocene Epoch will not be a problem for science. </p>
<p>A scientific definition of the Anthropocene is already widely available in the form of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3416">the Anthropocene Event</a>, which basically defines Anthropocene <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104340">in simple geological terms</a> as “a complex, transformative, and ongoing event analogous to the Great Oxidation Event and others in the geological record.”</p>
<p>So, despite the “no” vote on the Anthropocene Epoch, the Anthropocene will continue to be as useful as it has been for more than 20 years in stimulating discussions and research into the nature of human transformation of this planet. </p>
<p><em>This article was updated to clarify that a new attempt at an official Anthropocene Epoch declaration is unlikely soon.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erle C. Ellis is a former member of the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy. He is a member of the American Association of Geographers.</span></em></p>Scientists have been debating the start of the Anthropocene Epoch for 15 years. I was part of those discussions, and I agree with the vote rejecting it.Erle C. Ellis, Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2216552024-02-06T14:27:03Z2024-02-06T14:27:03ZMicroplastics found in Nile River’s tilapia fish: new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570625/original/file-20240122-15-ncnbn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A fisherman on the River Nile.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Nile is one of the world’s most famous rivers. It’s also Africa’s most important freshwater system. <a href="https://www.rti.org/impact/nile-river-basin-initiative#:%7E:text=The%20longest%20river%20in%20the,%2C%20Rwanda%2C%20Burundi%2C%20Tanzania%2C">About 300 million people</a> live in the 11 countries it flows through. Many rely on its waters for agriculture and fishing to make a living. </p>
<p>The Nile’s two main tributaries, the Blue Nile and the White Nile, come together in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum. This industrial hub has <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/khartoum-population">grown rapidly over the past few decades</a>.</p>
<p>The Nile is not immune to the same pollutants that affect rivers all over the world. Plastic debris is of particular concern. Over time plastics break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics. These are tiny plastic particles with a maximum size of five millimetres, all the way down to the nanoscale. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40501-9">Recent research</a> found that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>rivers are modelled to export up to 25,000 tons of plastics from their sub-basins to seas annually. Over 80% of this amount is microplastic.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This has huge negative consequences for biodiversity and the climate. As microplastics degrade, scientists have found, they <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213343722019200">produce greenhouse gases</a>. Airborne microplastics may influence the climate by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/microplastics-may-be-cooling-and-heating-earths-climate/">leading to atmospheric warming or cooling</a> depending on particle size, shape and composition. It also negatively affects <a href="https://www.undp.org/kosovo/blog/microplastics-human-health-how-much-do-they-harm-us">animal and human health</a>. Microplastics <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/envhealth.3c00052">have been shown</a> in laboratory studies to be toxic to animals and cells. </p>
<p>Much of the research about microplastics in African waters has focused on marine and coastal areas. To address this gap, I <a href="https://www.cell.com/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(23)10601-3.pdf">conducted a study</a> to assess the presence of microplastics in the River Nile in Khartoum. My students and I tested for the presence of microplastics in Nile tilapia. This popular African freshwater fish species <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/2/974">forms the basis</a> of commercial fisheries in many African countries, including Sudan.</p>
<p>The results do not make for happy reading. In the 30 freshly caught fish we surveyed, we found a total of 567 microplastic particles. This shows that the River Nile is contaminated with microplastics that can be consumed or absorbed in various ways by the tilapia and other aquatic organisms.</p>
<h2>Our sample</h2>
<p>The fish used in our study were caught just after the meeting point of the two Niles, known in Arabic as Al-Mogran. </p>
<p>We visited the Al-Mawrada fish market in the Omdurman area, which is also alongside the Nile. All 30 specimens we bought were freshly caught. </p>
<p>We dissected the fish to remove their digestive tracts. The individual tracts were treated so they would digest any organic matter they contained without interfering with the analysis of microplastics. The resulting solution was subject to another extraction procedure and we then conducted physical and chemical analyses.</p>
<p>Every specimen had microplastics in its digestive tract.</p>
<p>The number ranged from as few as five to as many as 47 particles per single fish. In total we identified 567 particles. This is high compared to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653520331659">studies</a> that have <a href="https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2430557/v1">reported microplastics</a> in tilapia species in other rivers and lakes. There is, as yet, no global guideline or standard for what might be an “acceptable” number.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fish-in-a-major-south-african-river-are-full-of-microplastics-186017">Fish in a major South African river are full of microplastics</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Shape, size and colour</h2>
<p>We detected different sizes of microplastics (0.04mm to 4.94mm), shapes (fibres, fragments, films, foams and pellets) and colours. The most common were very small (less than 1mm), fibrous – they appear slender and elongated – and coloured (dyed).</p>
<p>These characteristics make sense because of how fish and other aquatic organisms feed. Nile tilapia are versatile feeders: they consume a variety of organisms including phytoplankton, aquatic plants, invertebrates, detritus, bacterial films, as well as other fish and fish eggs. That puts them at a high risk of ingesting microplastics.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lagos-beaches-have-a-microplastic-pollution-problem-128133">Lagos beaches have a microplastic pollution problem</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Nile tilapia are also more likely to consume particles that are within a similar size range as their natural prey, as well as the same shape and colour.</p>
<p>Smaller microplastics are especially good carriers for other pollutants such as heavy metals, resulting in additional health risks. Their small size also makes it easier for them to move into organs like the liver. Studies have found microplastics in the tissues, muscles, livers, blubber and lungs of other <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X15002581">aquatic</a> as well as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026974912301254X">marine mammal species</a>.</p>
<p>Fibres, the most dominant shape found in our specimens, stay in the intestine for longer than other microplastic shapes. This, too, can lead to health problems for the fish. Coloured microplastics contain dyes, many of which <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13762-023-05168-1">contain toxic chemicals</a>. </p>
<p>This all has serious implications for human health, as people catch and eat the fish, which introduces those <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/86342">microplastics and associated chemicals into their bloodstreams</a>.</p>
<h2>Pollution sources</h2>
<p>Where does all this plastic originate? For starters, 65% of plastic waste in Khartoum is disposed of in <a href="https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v4i3/SUB151879.pdf">open dumps</a>. From there, it contaminates water bodies and other parts of the environment.</p>
<p>The city’s wastewater treatment system is ineffective. The three wastewater treatment plants in Khartoum state, Karary, Wd-Daffiaa and Soba, are outdated and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214785321069704?via%3Dihub">do not meet local and international standards</a>. That means untreated effluent from domestic, industrial and agricultural activities is another probable source of microplastic pollution.</p>
<p>There are also countless recreational sites along the River Nile in Khartoum. The Nile Street is the most popular in the capital city, hosting water sports, restaurants, cafes, clubs, event venues and hotels, as well as the tea ladies (women who serve hot beverages from makeshift mobile cafes along the banks of the river). However, waste disposal and collection practices are sorely lacking, so plastic litter from these leisure activities leaks into the river.</p>
<h2>No easy fix</h2>
<p>Tackling microplastic pollution is not easy. It will require technological advances, as well as the collective efforts of consumers, producers, governments and the scientific community.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/plastic-pollution-in-nigeria-is-poorly-studied-but-enough-is-known-to-urge-action-184591">Plastic pollution in Nigeria is poorly studied but enough is known to urge action</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As consumers, we need to change our behaviour around plastic products, especially single-use plastics. For example, opt for fabric shopping bags instead of plastic bags; use glass and metal containers. Recycling is also important.</p>
<p>Governments must enforce waste management regulations and improve waste management practices, as well as helping to improve public awareness. Strategies and policies must explicitly feature microplastics.</p>
<p>Scientists can not only fill the knowledge gaps around microplastics. Communicating scientific findings is crucial; so too is developing innovations to protect against microplastics and their harmful effects.</p>
<p><em>I would like to thank and acknowledge my student Hadeel Alamin, who conducted this study with me.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221655/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The project was funded by the Royal Society – UK.</span></em></p>The River Nile is contaminated with microplastics.Dalia Saad, Researcher, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220912024-02-01T14:50:17Z2024-02-01T14:50:17ZHermit crabs find new homes in plastic waste: shell shortage or clever choice?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571882/original/file-20240129-15-j4gupx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scientists have found that hermit crabs are increasingly using plastic and other litter as makeshift shell homes</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hermit-crab-carrying-plastic-bottle-cap-1962035515">metamorworks/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Land hermit crabs have been using bottle tops, parts of old light bulbs and broken glass bottles, instead of shells. </p>
<p>New research by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723075885">Polish researchers</a> studied 386 images of hermit crabs occupying these artificial shells. The photos had been uploaded by users to online platforms, then analysed by scientists using a research approach known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016953472030077X">iEcology</a>. Of the 386 photos, the vast majority, 326 cases, featured hermit crabs using plastic items as shelters. </p>
<p>At first glance, this is a striking example of how human activities can alter the behaviour of wild animals, and potentially the ways that <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.893453/full">populations and ecosystems function</a> as a result. But there are lots of factors at play and, while it’s easy to jump to conclusions, it’s important to consider exactly what might be driving this particular change. </p>
<h2>Shell selection</h2>
<p>Hermit crabs are an excellent model organism to study because they behave in many different ways and those differences can be easily measured. Instead of continuously growing their own shell to protect their body, like a normal crab or a lobster would, they use empty shells left behind by dead snails. As they walk around, the shell protects their soft abdomen but whenever they are threatened they retract their whole body into the shell. Their shells act as portable shelters.</p>
<p>Having a good enough shell is critical to an individual’s survival so they acquire and upgrade their shells as they grow. They fight other hermit crabs for shells and assess any new shells that they might find for suitability. Primarily, they look for shells that are large enough to protect them, but <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0761">their decision-making</a> also takes into account the type of snail shell, its condition and even its colour – a factor that could impact how conspicuous the crab might be.</p>
<p>Another factor that constrains shell choice is the actual availability of suitable shells. For some as yet unknown reason, a proportion of land hermit crabs are choosing to occupy plastic items rather than natural shells, as highlighted by this <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723075885">latest study</a>. </p>
<h2>Housing crisis or ingenious new move?</h2>
<p>Humans have intentionally changed the behaviour of animals for millennia, through the process of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213305413000052">domestication</a>. Any unintended behavioural changes in natural animal populations are potentially concerning, but how worried should we be about hermit crabs using plastic litter as shelter? </p>
<p>The Polish research raises a number of questions. First, how prevalent is the adoption of plastic litter instead of shells? While 326 crabs using plastic seems like a lot, this is likely to be an underestimation of the raw number given that users are likely to encounter crabs only in accessible parts of the populations. Conversely, it seems probable that users could be biased towards uploading striking or unusual images, so the iEcology approach might produce an exaggerated impression of the proportion of individuals in a population opting for plastic over natural shells. We need structured field surveys to clarify this. </p>
<p>Second, why are some individual crabs using plastic? One possibility is that they are forced to due to a lack of natural shells, but we can’t test this hypothesis without more information on the demographics of local snail populations. Or perhaps the crabs prefer plastic or find it easier to locate, compared with real shells? As the authors point out, plastic might be lighter than the equivalent shells affording the same amount of protection but at lower energy cost of carrying them. Intriguingly, chemicals that leach out of plastic are known to attract marine hermit crabs by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X21005671#:%7E:text=Our%20findings%20show%20that%20the,the%20artificial%20feeding%20stimulant%20betaine">mimicking the odour of food</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hermit crab using red plastic bottle cap as a shell, walking across beach surface covered in sand and seaweed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572811/original/file-20240201-23-4epat6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As hermit crabs adapt to an increase in plastic pollution, more research is needed to investigate the nuances.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hermit-crab-plastic-shell-zanzibar-2270754839">Bertrand Godfroid/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This leads to a third question about the possible downsides of using plastic. Compared to real shells plastic waste tends to be brighter and might contrast more with the background making the crabs more vulnerable to predators. Additionally, we know that exposure to microplastics and compounds that leach from plastic can change the behaviour of hermit crabs, making them <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36978596/#:%7E:text=Plastic%2Dexposed%20hermit%20crabs%20were,exposure%20disrupting%20hermit%20crab%20cognition">less fussy</a> about the shells that they choose, less adept at <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8511743/">fighting for shells</a> and even changing their personalities by making them more prone to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911020300058">take risks</a>. To answer these questions about the causes and consequences of hermit crabs using plastic waste in this way, we need to investigate their shell selection behaviour through a series of laboratory experiments.</p>
<h2>Pollution changes behaviour</h2>
<p>Plastic pollution is just one of the ways we are changing our environment. It’s by far the most <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X14008571">highly reported form</a> of debris that we have introduced to marine environments. But animal behaviour is affected by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723059879?via%3Dihub">other forms of pollution</a> too, including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, light and noise, plus the rising temperatures and ocean acidification caused by climate change. </p>
<p>So while investigating the use of plastic waste by hermit crabs could help us better understand the consequences of certain human impacts on the environment, it doesn’t show how exactly animals will adjust to the Anthropocene, the era during which human activity has been having a significant impact on the planet. Will they cope by using plastic behavioural responses or evolve across generations, or perhaps both? In my view, the iEcology approach cannot answer questions like this. Rather, this study acts as an alarm bell highlighting potential changes that now need to be fully investigated.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Briffa works for the University of Plymouth. He receives funding from the UK BBSRC. </span></em></p>Hermit crabs have been using plastic waste such as bottle tops as homes instead of empty snail shells.Mark Briffa, Professor of Animal Behaviour, University of PlymouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2204982024-01-16T14:14:16Z2024-01-16T14:14:16ZDangerous chemicals found in recycled plastics, making them unsafe for use – experts explain the hazards<p>Plastic pollution is a menace worldwide. Plastics are now <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg5433">found</a> in every <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c04158">environment</a> on the planet, from the deepest seas to the atmosphere and human bodies. </p>
<p>Scientific evidence <a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056">describing harm</a> to the environment and humans is growing. Hence, the United Nations has <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/39812/OEWG_PP_1_INF_1_UNEA%20resolution.pdf">resolved</a> to <a href="https://enb.iisd.org/negotiations/international-legally-binding-instrument-plastics-pollution-including-marine#:%7E:text=The%20United%20Nations%20Environment%20Assembly,pollution%2C%20including%20in%20the%20marine">negotiate</a> a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. </p>
<p>Strategies to achieve this goal include provisions throughout the plastics lifespan: production, use, waste management and remediation. </p>
<p>In designing rules for managing plastic, it’s important to understand that plastic materials and waste streams are complex. Not all plastics are the same. And recycled plastics are not necessarily “better” – less harmful – than virgin plastics. If they contained harmful chemicals to begin with, recycling doesn’t make them less harmful. And sometimes they are contaminated by other substances.</p>
<p>We conducted a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340923008090?via%3Dihub">study</a> identifying and measuring the concentration of contaminants in recycled pellets from 28 small-scale recycling facilities in the global south. Plastic waste is often exported from high income countries to less developed countries, with few to no requirements for reporting their makeup.</p>
<p>Our investigation covered facilities in Cameroon, Mauritius, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo in Africa as well others in Asia, Europe and South America. </p>
<p>We found 191 pesticides, 107 pharmaceuticals and 81 industrial compounds among many others in the recycled plastic pellets. Many of these chemicals could be hazardous and make the plastics unsuitable for reuse.</p>
<p>This finding can inform regulations for recycled plastics. The chemical composition of the plastic should be checked before it is recycled. </p>
<h2>Chemicals used in production of plastics</h2>
<p>More than <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/chemicals-plastics-technical-report">13,000 chemicals</a> are currently used in the production of plastic materials and products. They can include thousands of plastics additives – but also substances that are added unintentionally. Some unwanted chemicals form during the production or life of plastics. Thousands of these chemicals have dangerous properties. The health risks of some others are unknown. </p>
<p>Throughout the plastics value chain, during production, use, waste and recycling, other chemicals can contaminate the material too. The result may be recycled materials whose chemical composition is unknown. </p>
<p>Previous studies have reported the presence of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.014">plastics additives</a> in recycled materials. Among them were chemicals that are <a href="https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/chemicals-waste/what-we-do/emerging-issues/endocrine-disrupting-chemicals">known</a> to have <a href="https://www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/overview-endocrine-disruption">negative effects on health</a>. Examples include <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055387">phthalates</a> (plastic softeners), bisphenols like <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720706002292">BPA</a>, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721044478?via%3Dihub">UV-stabilisers</a> used to protect plastics from sun damage and yellowing.</p>
<p>In our work, we established the presence of chemicals in recycled plastic that can cause harm to humans or other organisms. They include pesticides, pharmaceuticals and fragrances. Others are chemicals that result from burning natural materials, man-made organic chemicals used for industrial applications like paint, and ultraviolet filters.</p>
<p>We quantified a total of 491 different chemical substances. Some had specific uses and others formed from the breakdown of products.</p>
<p>Some national and regional policies <a href="https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/Globalgovernance/tabid/8335/Default.aspx">regulate</a> the allowable concentration of hazardous chemicals in specific plastic products. But only 1% of plastics chemicals are subject to international regulation in existing multilateral environmental agreements. Policies don’t adequately address the issue of transparent reporting of chemicals in plastics across their value chain. Also, there are no laws to govern monitoring of chemicals in recycled materials. This is a <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk9846">serious gap</a> in oversight. Stronger and more globally coordinated measures are necessary. </p>
<p>Our findings emphasise the importance of regulating mechanical recycling, as many of the substances measured were contaminants and not plastic additives. Many of the chemicals we identified may have contaminated the materials during use. For example, a jug used for storing pesticides will absorb some of the pesticides and will contaminate the recycling waste stream. Plastics in the environment are also known to absorb <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X11005960">organic pollutants</a>. </p>
<p>To assess the quality of recycled plastics, it’s crucial to know which chemicals are present and in what concentrations. This information can guide regulations about how recycled plastics may be used. It will also be valuable for plastics producers, waste management workers (including recyclers), consumers, and the scientific community.</p>
<h2>A path towards safer reuse of plastics</h2>
<p>To recycle more materials safely, several changes are necessary. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>increased transparency regarding the use of chemicals and their risks </p></li>
<li><p>chemical simplification of the plastics market, so that fewer and less toxic chemicals are permitted for use</p></li>
<li><p>improved waste management infrastructure with separated waste streams </p></li>
<li><p>improved recycling methods, including monitoring of hazardous chemicals.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Chemical simplification of plastic additives will promote sustainability, safety and regulatory compliance. It will help manufacturers to minimise the environmental impact and adverse health effects of complex chemical formulations. Simpler chemical structures also improve the recycling potential of plastics and make recycling more efficient and cost-effective.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.1c04903">Chemical simplification</a> can also reduce potential health risks in the disposal of plastic materials. </p>
<p>From a regulatory perspective, chemical simplification supports clearer and more enforceable safety guidelines.</p>
<p>It’s is a crucial step towards the sustainable production and use of plastics, as countries work towards a legal instrument to end pollution.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220498/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethanie Carney Almroth receives funding from the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development
FORMAS (grant number 2021-00913) and The Carl Tryggers Foundation (grant number 21:1234).
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Carmona Martinez received funding from Carl Trygger Foundation. </span></em></p>Recycled plastics are not safe if the chemicals used in creating them in the first place are harmful.Bethanie Carney Almroth, Associate Professor, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of GothenburgEric Carmona Martinez, Scientist, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2179922023-12-18T16:17:20Z2023-12-18T16:17:20ZAdvertising toys to children is an environmental nightmare – here’s how parents can deal with it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566310/original/file-20231218-23-ncxq5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1280%2C960&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/photos/lego-blocks-multicoloured-plastic-1649878/">RegenWolke/Pixabay</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As Christmas approaches, many children experience the “gimme-gimmes” and write a list of toys that they hope Santa will bring. This is to be expected. Toys give children a chance to learn and be curious, engage their imaginations in play and become socialised with others.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://fashnerd.com/2018/05/ecobirdy-sustainable-recycling-innovative-technology/#:%7E:text=According%20to%20ecoBirdy's%20website%2C%2080,just%20six%20months%20on%20average.">80% of all toys</a> end up in landfills, incinerators or the ocean. The toy industry uses <a href="https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/other-products/environmental-impact-of-toys">40 tonnes of plastic</a> for every US$1 million it generates in revenue and has <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550922000550">an excessive carbon footprint</a>.</p>
<p>Toys may contribute to the development of a child while threatening their health and wellbeing with pollution. Advertisers perpetuate this paradox, and children are vulnerable to their persuasive tactics.</p>
<p>Advertisers know that children are an inevitable part of the consumer decision-making cycle and coax them to pester their parents to part with hard-earned cash. Creating an emotional attachment to toys in the minds of children is key – tie-ins with food, fun, clothing and music create a spiral of brand-associated desire. </p>
<p>Popular but non-recyclable loom bands (a wrist-worn accessory) are <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2715044/Loom-band-craze-eco-ticking-timebomb-Fears-thousands-bands-recycled-discarded-street.html">a poignant example</a>. This worldwide children’s craze, often used to signal solidarity with a cause, has led to a deluge of silicone-based rubber reaching landfills and the ocean every year. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A colourful selection of children's toys on a white background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5162%2C3993&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566298/original/file-20231218-21-uk0iid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The vast majority of plastic toys are not widely recycled.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/multicolored-learning-toys-gDiRwIYAMA8">Vanessa Bucceri/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Aside from emotional marketing (which works on children and adults alike) <a href="https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/026151008X388378">studies have shown</a> that very young children often cannot tell whether they are watching a television programme or an advertisement. Banner advertising on game sites present the same issue. </p>
<p>Only from the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470785318802682">ages of nine to 11</a> do children begin to become brand-aware and conscious of the social currency that brand power presents. While they may increasingly understand the intent behind branding, they are also at an age where they are prone to peer pressure and will use what psychologists call their “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0267257X.2010.495281">pester power</a>”.</p>
<p>Children are clearly vulnerable to these tactics, and the result is a growing stream of plastic into the environment. But psychological research suggests that a child’s developmental capacity to understand the climate crisis and its consequences could provide an antidote. By giving children space to participate fully in decisions that are potentially harmful to the environment, parents may counteract a child’s susceptibility to aggressive advertising. </p>
<h2>Give children more agency</h2>
<p>The Psychological Society of Ireland recently responded to a call for recommendations on improving children’s rights laws from the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-comments-draft-general-comment-childrens-rights-and-environment-special">United Nations</a>. Leading the submission, <a href="https://www.psychologicalsociety.ie/source/PSI%20response%20to%20UN%20Committee%20on%20Rights%20of%20the%20Child%20-%20Draft%20General%20comment%20No-26%20(SIGHRP).pdf">the team and I</a> addressed the mental health problems caused to children by environmental harm. </p>
<p>Elaine Rogers, Alexis Carey and I published a <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/904850/pdf">review paper</a> drawing on psychological research and the UN’s global consultation with 16,000 children. This consultation found that children across a range of ages not only demonstrate their understanding of the threat climate change poses but readily propose solutions. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child holding up a toy camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566302/original/file-20231218-29-okj15f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children can understand the climate crisis – and the role that consumerism plays in it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/girl-holding-purple-and-green-camera-toy-GagC07wVvck">Tanaphong Toochinda/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When the opportunity arises, children and adolescents express empathy and distress at the situation, and may even be predisposed to anxiety. The climate anxiety that children experience may be for themselves and their own family, for future generations, or for the environment and other species. These findings suggest that the capacity for children to understand the climate crisis could counteract their susceptibility to advertising which inflames it.</p>
<p>Drawing on our analysis of how children’s participation can generate solutions to environmental issues, I have put together recommendations which may be helpful to parents and guardians this Christmas season.</p>
<h2>Get the whole family involved</h2>
<p>Have discussions with your child about how a toy will possibly be good or bad for the environment. For instance, some <a href="https://corporate.mattel.com/sustainable-materials-in-toys">well-known brands</a> have switched to using plastic made from ethanol extracted from sugar cane.</p>
<p>Look for eco-labels on toys and find out which suppliers stock <a href="https://www.greentoys.com/">Green Toy</a> brands. Also ask questions about the educational merit of a toy choice and help your child weigh up the pros and cons. Try balancing these purchases with more commercial ones.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A selection of wooden toy animals." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566300/original/file-20231218-17-3tuk08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Certification schemes exist to make ethical choices easier for parents and guardians.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-crocodile-wooden-toy-on-the-floor-3661197/">Cottonbro Studio</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps find out how your children could become involved in national and international debates on climate change. The UN recently made explicit that there is a legal responsibility on advertisers to ensure that marketing does not mislead children and it has placed a high value on children’s involvement in these matters, producing a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/crc/gcomments/gc26/2023/GC26-Child-Friendly-Version_English.pdf">child-friendly version</a> (and an accompanying <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ytWDLmyC8">video</a>) of its position on children’s rights and the environment. </p>
<h2>Toy banks</h2>
<p>Look out for collection points for pre-loved toys. Toy banks can start with family, friends and neighbours. Perhaps canvass local residential committees and local government to start one if there isn’t one near you.</p>
<p>Encourage your children to gather a used-toy selection to send to local charity shops in the run up to Christmas. </p>
<h2>Encourage longevity</h2>
<p>When toys have a personal story, children are more likely to want to play with them for longer, especially <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyrobertson/2018/01/26/connected-toys-need-to-learn-longevity-from-traditional-toy-makers/?sh=32b506292ad2">character toys</a>. </p>
<p>For example, a doll and teddy bear “holiday” or “hospital stay” might reignite your child’s interest in a toy when they return. </p>
<h2>Safe spaces</h2>
<p>Creating <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/crc/gcomments/gc26/2023/GC26-Child-Friendly-Version_English.pdf">safe spaces</a> for discussion at home, at school or in the community will help your children think critically about how product marketing or merchandise could make them complicit in damaging the environment. The discussion should feel safe and non-adversarial. </p>
<p>Remember that children are the gatekeepers of purchasing power, with the ability to persuade parents, caregivers and even Santa to bring them the toys they choose. </p>
<p>Empowering your children to make grown-up decisions about the toys they’d like to have, or to keep, will help reduce the negative impact of advertising on their wellbeing.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Cowley-Cunningham is a chartered psychologist of the British Psychological Society and an associate fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland. She is affiliated with the Green Party, Ireland. </span></em></p>Until the age of nine, children struggle to distinguish adverts from TV shows.Michelle Cowley-Cunningham, Chartered Psychologist and Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Centre for Family Business, Dublin City UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2190822023-12-05T13:19:35Z2023-12-05T13:19:35ZReal or artificial? A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it’s made of<p>Every year, Americans buy somewhere between <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/209249/purchase-figures-for-real-and-fake-christmas-trees-in-the-us/">35 million and 50 million Christmas trees</a>, and many more pull an artificial tree out of storage for the season. In all, about three-quarters of U.S. households typically have some kind of Christmas tree, <a href="https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/26802-christmas-tree-poll-survey-artificial-real-survey">surveys show</a>.</p>
<p>People often ask which is more sustainable – a real tree or an artificial one? It’s a big debate, and the answer depends on who you ask and which factors you consider.</p>
<p>A more useful question is: How do I find the most sustainable tree of the kind I want to get?</p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://extension.msstate.edu/central-ms-research-ext-center/dr-curtis-l-vanderschaaf">forestry professor</a> who works on issues of sustainability. There are advantages and disadvantages to both cut trees and artificial trees. Here are some tips to consider for each.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man carries a live Christmas tree on his shoulder through a doorway. A little girl runs ahead of him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563376/original/file-20231204-18-eepsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cut Christmas trees require water and maintenance – and careful thought about disposal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mid-adult-man-in-santa-hat-carefully-carrying-royalty-free-image/1390111010">10'000 Hours/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>If you’re buying a live Christmas tree</h2>
<p>When Christmas trees are alive and growing, they pull carbon dioxide from the air and use it as the building blocks of their wood. That keeps the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere, where too much carbon dioxide contributes to global warming.</p>
<p>This process stops once the tree is harvested. And at some point, the cut tree begins to decompose and releases that carbon again.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563020/original/file-20231201-27-mx55zk.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Christmas tree farms like this one in Greencastle, Ind., can be found in almost every state.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/indiana/news/retirees-pursue-passion-on-christmas-tree">USDA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the positive side, the tree’s root systems will continue to store carbon for some time, and <a href="https://realchristmastrees.org/education/quick-tree-facts/">new trees are typically planted to continue the cycle</a>.</p>
<p>So, how do you find the most sustainable live tree?</p>
<h2>Think about the tree’s origin</h2>
<p>If you live in Mississippi, like I do, buying a noble fir (<em>Abies procera</em>) means your tree probably came from the Pacific Northwest. That’s a long drive, and transportation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, in a truck with several hundred trees, each individual tree’s transportation emissions are pretty minor.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map of Douglas-fir locations, primarily in the Pacific Northwest and intermountain West" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563062/original/file-20231202-27-g50g0b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Douglas-firs grow primarily in the Western U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/Forest-Atlas-of-the-United-States.pdf">USDA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most common Christmas tree varies by region: Douglas-fir is also common throughout the Mountain West. Scotch pine and balsam fir are regularly grown in the Great Lakes states. Fraser fir is also popular there but dominant in North Carolina. Leyland cypress and Virginia pine are common in the Southeast.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Maps showing balsam fir growing areas." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563065/original/file-20231202-17-9o886x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Balsam firs, also popular for Christmas trees, grow in the Great Lakes region, New England and Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/Forest-Atlas-of-the-United-States.pdf">USDA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are many other wonderful species grown locally. Of course, the lowest-impact cut tree is the one you cut from your own yard.</p>
<p>Also, look for local nurseries that <a href="https://christmastrees.ces.ncsu.edu/christmastrees-christmas-tree-fertility/">protect their soils from erosion</a> and minimize harm to surface and groundwater from runoff that can include fertilizers or pesticides.</p>
<h2>Disposing of your live tree</h2>
<p>What you do with your tree <a href="https://www.angi.com/articles/how-dispose-christmas-tree.htm">after the holidays</a> also <a href="https://www.texasdisposal.com/blog/real-vs-fake-christmas-trees/">matters</a>.</p>
<p>Recycling is far better than leaving the wood to decompose in a landfill. Because of the nature of most landfills, anaerobic conditions will ultimately exist, and decomposition will result in the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas">release of methane gas</a>, which is many times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Look for a <a href="https://pickyourownchristmastree.org/MississippiTreeRecyclingDisposal.php">community</a> or <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/c/ai/christmas-tree-recycling/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90c0b422bc">retailer</a> that offers to chip the tree or shred it to create mulch or for use in animal stalls. This keeps it out of landfills and serves a purpose.</p>
<p><a href="https://blog.davey.com/is-a-christmas-tree-good-for-mulch-or-the-compost-pile/">Composting is another option</a>. Trees can be used as an <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2020-01-09/states-recycle-christmas-trees-for-fish-habitats">erosion barrier for sand or soil</a> or as <a href="https://www.trackerboats.com/learning-center/christmas-tree-recycling.html">fish habitat in lakes</a>. They can even be donated whole <a href="https://tigerworld.us/recycle-your-christmas-tree/">to zoos</a>, where the trees provide entertainment for animals while eventually <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJvWWOutseI">decaying outside of a landfill</a>, or they can be tossed into a bio-burner to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/1/14/7547015/old-christmas-trees-zoo">provide heating for buildings</a>. Some people even <a href="https://www.timbercreekfarmer.com/can-goats-eat-christmas-trees">feed trees to goats</a>.</p>
<p>Alternatively, consider cutting the tree into smaller pieces and letting it rot in the open, placing it in an out-of-the-way place in your yard. It will provide a <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-insects-make-them-welcome-in-your-garden-heres-how-153609">temporary home for many insects, birds and wildlife</a>.</p>
<h2>Artificial trees have different pros and cons</h2>
<p>Artificial trees also have advantages – they can last for years and require almost no maintenance. However, they are mostly a petroleum-based product, and when you throw one out, it can take hundreds of years to decompose.</p>
<p>If you plan to buy an artificial Christmas tree – maybe you have allergies like I do, or you’re concerned about cost – here are some suggestions to reduce your carbon footprint.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A girl puts together an artificial tree that's missing its top." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563377/original/file-20231204-21-va6vl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Artificial trees can last decades.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/little-girl-makes-an-artificial-christmas-tree-royalty-free-image/1427522691">Sinenkiy/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reuse, reuse, reuse</h2>
<p>The No. 1 way to reduce emissions with an artificial tree is to reuse it for years. Reuse <a href="https://treescapes.com/real-vs-artificial-christmas-trees/">avoids the carbon impact</a> of producing, packaging and shipping a new one. The break-even point – when your artificial tree’s emissions match the emissions of buying a live tree each year – varies from <a href="https://www.christmastreeassociation.org/2018-acta-life-cycle-assessment">as little as four years</a> to <a href="https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/biblio/21221949">as many as 20 years</a>, depending on the factors considered.</p>
<p>Many artificial trees are <a href="https://oncortrees.com/?fbclid=IwAR3mY_fdBpUSDxfQi2piZru2QlzJgI-i6KiUYUQQU9V3t7vvZXnQX4VWbXA">built to last 30 years or more</a>. My family has had one for 25 years. To lengthen its life span, take care when putting it up and storing it. If the tree gets damaged, see if you can find replacement parts rather than replacing the entire tree.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563056/original/file-20231202-30-58e77z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Old artificial trees can be repurposed into garlands and other holiday crafts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Curtis VanderSchaaf</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pay attention to the source</h2>
<p><a href="https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/12/Christmas_tree.html">About 80%</a> of artificial Christmas trees are manufactured in China. <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58861">Shipping is pretty efficient</a>, but the tree still needs to get to and from the ports. You can also look for one manufactured nearby instead.</p>
<p>Some manufacturers are making trees out of recycled materials, <a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vinterfint-artificial-christmas-tree-indoor-outdoor-green-30556093/">at least in part</a>, which helps reduce the tree’s carbon footprint. Shorter artificial trees, or designs with less foliage, also use less plastic.</p>
<p>The type of plastic used also affects the amount of petroleum used. Some <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2020.11.173">research has suggested</a> that plastic foliage made from polyethylene plastic molds may have a lower impact than traditional <a href="https://premiumpatio.com/needles-and-realism-artificial-christmas-trees/">foliage made out of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC</a>.</p>
<h2>Give the fake tree a second life</h2>
<p>If you no longer like your artificial tree – maybe it’s too big for a new home – try reselling the tree or donating it to a <a href="https://www.dumpsters.com/blog/christmas-tree-disposal">charity, thrift store or nursing home</a> so that others can continue to use it.</p>
<p>You can also get creative and repurpose the old tree limbs into decorative wreaths, garlands or toy trees for a hobby train set.</p>
<h2>Lighting also matters</h2>
<p>With any holiday tree, be judicious <a href="https://christmastrees.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/11/care-for-your-north-carolina-fraser-fir/">about turning off lights</a> when no one is around and at night. Consider using fewer lights. LED lights are <a href="https://www.chesterenergyandpolicy.com/blog/powering-holiday-symbols-emissions">more energy efficient</a> than incandescent lights.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An elf ornament and Christmas light." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563021/original/file-20231201-15-sq3tm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">LED lights reduce energy demand.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/98640399@N08/9375455047">Barta IV via Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the grand scheme of the holidays, with people traveling and buying and returning gifts through the mail, the carbon footprint of your Christmas tree is a lesser concern. A <a href="https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/Carbonoffset/Pages/default.aspx">round-trip flight</a> from Los Angeles to Boston can produce more than 30 times the lifetime emissions of a typical artificial Christmas tree. Still, it’s fairly easy to make more sustainable choices and reduce your carbon footprint when you can.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Curtis VanderSchaaf is a forestry extension specialist at Mississippi State University..
</span></em></p>How many years you reuse a fake holiday tree matters. So does what happens to a live tree when you’ve packed up the ornaments.Curtis VanderSchaaf, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2164262023-11-30T13:36:28Z2023-11-30T13:36:28ZAs plastic production grows, treaty negotiations to reduce plastic waste are stuck in low gear<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562205/original/file-20231128-19-csbpls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C17%2C5982%2C3952&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Plastic litters a beach in Manila, Philippines.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/motorcycle-helmet-and-other-plastic-waste-are-seen-washed-news-photo/1681770746"> Ezra Acayan/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Plastic pollution has spread to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06113-5">Earth’s farthest reaches</a>, with widespread effects <a href="https://theconversation.com/seabirds-that-swallow-ocean-plastic-waste-have-scarring-in-their-stomachs-scientists-have-named-this-disease-plasticosis-201506">on wildlife</a>, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/Policy-Highlights-Climate-change-and-plastics-pollution-Synergies-between-two-crucial-environmental-challenges.pdf">the environment</a> and <a href="https://www.afro.who.int/news/tackling-health-impacts-plastic-pollution-africa">human health</a>. To curb this problem, U.N. member countries are <a href="https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution">negotiating a global treaty</a> to reduce plastic pollution, which they aim to complete by the end of 2024. </p>
<p>That effort is well underway. In September 2023, the U.N. Environment Programme released the so-called <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43239/ZERODRAFT.pdf">zero draft</a> – a first iteration of ideas and goals that emerged from the first two rounds of negotiations. And in November 2023, the <a href="https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution">Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution</a> met in Nairobi, Kenya, for the third negotiating round of a planned five sessions. </p>
<p>Studies show that plastic causes harm <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.05.015">in all stages of its life cycle</a>, from production through use and disposal. Because the draft treaty includes provisions that address all of these phases, environmental advocates greeted it as a <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2023/09/05/breakfreefromplastic-members-encouraged-by-the-zero-draft-for-a-global-plastics-treaty-call-for-ambitious-negotiations/">step in the right direction</a>. </p>
<p>The draft includes 13 provisions that address issues such as reducing plastics production, the use of recycled materials, phasing out single-use plastics, promoting alternative materials and limiting the use of <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/chemicals-plastics-technical-report">chemicals of concern</a> – materials that have high toxicities and the potential to be released from plastic products. But with three rounds of negotiations now complete, major questions remain unresolved. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz59f8esLe7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Some countries continue to focus on end-of-life measures, like disposal and recycling, while others prioritize reducing plastic production. Notably, the U.S. – the world’s <a href="http://nap.nationalacademies.org/26132">top generator of plastic waste</a> – has been slow to endorse ambitious goals.</p>
<p>On the plus side, the Biden administration recently agreed that national plans should be based on a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/un-talks-global-plastic-treaty-delegates-face-off-over-production-limits-2023-11-12/">globally agreed target</a> for reducing plastic, rather than simply calling on countries to act individually. However, the U.S. position on other questions remains vague. </p>
<h2>Recycling isn’t keeping up</h2>
<p>Plastic has many uses, and it’s cheap. These attributes drive what some observers call a <a href="https://about.bnef.com/blog/the-worlds-addiction-to-plastic-in-five-charts/">plastic addiction</a>. </p>
<p>In particular, thanks to consumers’ desire for convenience, about <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability">36% of global plastic production is for single-use items</a>, such as food packaging, straws, grocery bags and utensils. Global plastic production <a href="https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.htm">doubled from 2000 through 2019</a>, but recycling rates in the U.S. and elsewhere have <a href="https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data">remained essentially flat</a>.</p>
<p>Treaties have successfully curbed other global harms, including <a href="https://leap.unep.org/en/content/treaty/convention-long-range-transboundary-air-pollution">acid rain</a>, <a href="https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/who-we-are/about-montreal-protocol">stratospheric ozone loss</a> and <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/minamata-convention-mercury-marks-three-years-protecting-human-health-and">mercury contamination</a>. Many environmental advocates see the decision to design a global plastic treaty as a <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/un-plastic-pollution-treaty-one-step-closer-to-being-realized-as-negotiators-in-paris-agree-to-start-developing-a-draft-treaty-with-global-rules-to-curb-plastic-pollution">unique opportunity</a>, on a par with the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/03/climate-crisis-un-agrees-to-develop-treaty-to-end-plastic-pollution.html">2015 Paris accord</a> to address global climate change. </p>
<p>But based on my <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/our-plastic-problem-and-how-to-solve-it/CAD4AF039D41B2CD6B66BF3B8DF57BF0">research into curbing plastic pollution</a>, I believe such an agreement won’t succeed unless major governments embrace a life-cycle approach that addresses all stages of the plastic value chain, from production to disposal. And since plastics are made from petrochemicals, the fossil fuel industry has a strong interest in the outcome and will need incentives to support proposals for limiting production.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People march with signs calling for limits on plastic production." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562210/original/file-20231128-27-79x45t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environment activists demonstrate in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 11, 2023, just before the third round of negotiations on a global plastic pollution treaty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/environment-activists-stage-a-demonstration-demanding-news-photo/1775869205">Edwin Ndeke/Anadolu via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The ozone precedent</h2>
<p>Historically, the U.S. has taken the position that plastic pollution is a waste disposal problem. Industry, too, prefers to treat plastic pollution primarily as an issue of <a href="https://www.afpm.org/newsroom/blog/reintroduced-break-free-plastic-pollution-act-falls-short-would-penalize-american">people mismanaging waste</a>. Relevant U.S. policies, such as the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ224/PLAW-116publ224.pdf">Save Our Seas 2.0 Act</a> enacted in 2020, have focused on managing waste rather than reducing plastic production.</p>
<p>In May 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/Draft_National_Strategy_to_Prevent_Plastic_Pollution.pdf">Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution</a>. While green groups view it as an <a href="https://earthjustice.org/action/plastics-are-harming-our-health-and-destroying-our-planet">improvement over past policies</a>, the proposal does not ban nonessential plastics, as some advocates urge. </p>
<p>In my view, recycling and <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0228-0704">end-of-life management of plastic</a> play oversized roles in the draft. What’s more, critics argue that the plan’s focus on <a href="https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/beyond-plastics-calls-on-us-epa-to-standardize-and-restrict-plastic-industry-legislation.html">voluntary waste reduction goals</a> will be ineffective.</p>
<p>I see the 1987 <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability">Montreal Protocol</a>, which phased out production and use of chemicals that deplete Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, as a better model. This treaty, which is <a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-the-ozone-layer-why-the-montreal-protocol-worked-9249">widely viewed as successful</a>, clearly identified the chemicals at issue and included scientists in the negotiating process. </p>
<p>It set an ambitious schedule for monitoring and controlling ozone-depleting substances, gave industry a central role in developing substitutes and <a href="https://council.science/current/blog/happy-birthday-montreal-protocol-ozone/">left room for businesses and regulators to innovate</a>. Thanks to the treaty’s design, plus <a href="https://theconversation.com/cooling-conundrum-hfcs-were-the-safer-replacement-for-another-damaging-chemical-in-refrigerators-and-air-conditioners-with-a-treaty-now-phasing-them-out-whats-next-191172">updates to address newly recognized threats</a>, scientists agree that Earth’s ozone layer <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132277">is on track to recover</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Under the Montreal Protocol, Earth’s ozone layer is on track to recover over the next several decades from 20th-century depletion – a precedent for tackling other environmental problems.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Lagging negotiations on plastic</h2>
<p>Countries did not show this kind of unity in the Nairobi negotiations on the plastics treaty. Environmental advocates accused a handful of oil-producing countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia, of engaging in what the green groups viewed as <a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-11-frustration-latest-global-plastic-treaty.html">stalling tactics</a> by introducing new proposals. These so-called “low-ambition countries” have pushed for language that allows individual countries to determine how to reduce plastic and focuses on waste management.</p>
<p>In contrast, a separate <a href="https://hactoendplasticpollution.org/">High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution</a>, chaired by Rwanda and Norway, together with the <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/opinion/african-nations-have-power-tools-re-design-plastic-pollution-free-future">African Group of Negotiators</a> and the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/story/202306/small-island-developing-states-call-ambitious-global-plastics-treaty-inc-2-paris">Small Island Developing States</a>, pressed for setting binding targets and eliminating <a href="https://usplasticspact.org/problematic-materials/">problematic plastics</a>, such as single-use items. As an example, the U.S., Canada, several other nations and the European Union have already <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/legal-limits-single-use-plastics-and-microplastics">banned or limited the use of microbeads</a> in personal care products. These tiny beads, which are added for purposes such as helping to remove dry, dead cells from users’ skin, have become <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-are-guinea-pigs-in-a-worldwide-experiment-on-microplastics-97514">widely distributed in the environment</a>.</p>
<p>Another concern is treatment of <a href="https://grist.org/international/global-plastics-treaty-waste-pickers/">waste pickers</a> – people whose livelihood depends on collecting and sorting plastic waste. Negotiators have called for a <a href="https://enb.iisd.org/plastic-pollution-marine-environment-negotiating-committee-inc3-daily-report-13nov2023">just transition</a> for people working in the informal waste economy, through steps such as making plastics less toxic and providing compensation as countries reduce use of plastics.</p>
<p>The fossil fuel industry had a significant presence at the Nairobi meeting. According to the <a href="https://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industries-at-inc-3/">Center for International Environmental Law</a>, a legal and policy advocacy group, 143 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered for this round of negotiations, a 36% increase from the previous round. The industry’s main goals focus on <a href="https://www.afpm.org/issues/petrochemicals/plastic-waste-principles">end-of-life measures like increasing recycling</a>, rather than limiting production.</p>
<p>Ultimately, nations failed to agree on how to narrow down the proposals in the draft treaty ahead of the fourth round of negotiations, which is scheduled for April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada. Instead, the text still lists multiple proposals for addressing each major issue. </p>
<p>Although the negotiations <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03579-1">are behind schedule</a>, many nations agree that a binding treaty on plastic pollution is critical to solving the plastic pollution problem. As I see it, key conditions for success include minimizing oil and gas industry influence and increasing U.S. support for a life-cycle approach, including agreements to phase out single-use plastics and harmful chemicals. </p>
<p>In addition, I believe scientists should have a formal way to provide policymakers and negotiators with <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03579-1">regular updates on the scientific evidence</a> related to plastic pollution. Insights about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/seabirds-that-swallow-ocean-plastic-waste-have-scarring-in-their-stomachs-scientists-have-named-this-disease-plasticosis-201506">effects of plastic waste</a> continue to emerge, and a treaty that reflects those findings will be better positioned to achieve its goals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216426/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah J. Morath is a member of the Scientists Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. </span></em></p>A central question remains unresolved in the draft treaty: Is plastic pollution basically a waste management problem, or can it be solved only with a cap on production?Sarah J. Morath, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Affairs, Wake Forest UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2168542023-11-20T12:19:35Z2023-11-20T12:19:35ZMyths about plastic pollution are leading to public confusion: here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559909/original/file-20231116-24-7i6zsv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5463%2C3637&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/volunteer-collects-garbage-on-muddy-beach-1923099980">STEKLO/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Does the prediction that there could be “<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3408064/A-sea-plastic-Trash-outweigh-fish-ocean-just-30-years-unless-drastic-action-taken-recycle.html">more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050</a>” concern you? How about reports that “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/31/us/microplastic-credit-card-per-week/index.html">we eat a credit card’s worth of plastic per week</a>”? These are some of the “facts” about plastic that are cited by the media. </p>
<p>They are certainly compelling sound bites and help to focus public and policy attention on the pressing topic of plastic pollution, but their scientific basis is far from robust. </p>
<p>The scientists whose findings were used to support the “more plastic than fish” claim <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fishy-figures-underpin-ministers-ocean-plastic-warning/">refuted this</a>. But one scientist who worked on the original source the estimation is based on has now updated his figures. The claim is further undermined by the assumptions the calculation is based on and an underestimate of fish stocks. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/research-calculates-human-consumes-less-than-a-grain-of-salt-of-microplastics-per-week.htm">Research</a> has also found that humans ingest less than a grain of salt of microplastics each week. This means that it would take around 4,700 years to ingest an amount of plastic equivalent to the weight of a credit card. </p>
<p>Over the past three years I’ve been interviewing households in the UK, Spain and Germany about plastics as part of a <a href="https://www.ukri.org/news/8-million-for-sustainable-plastics-research-projects/">project</a> focused on improving the recycling of plastic packaging. I’ve been struck by the level of confusion people have about the sources of and risks associated with plastic pollution. </p>
<p>So, in collaboration with the <a href="https://www.hereon.de/institutes/coastal_environmental_chemistry/index.php.en">Hereon Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry</a> and <a href="https://www.ahnenenkel.com">communications experts</a>, I have launched an online resource called “<a href="https://plasticmyths.coastalpollutiontoolbox.org/">Plastic Mythbusters</a>” that aims to debunk popular plastic myths that regularly feature in media. </p>
<p>Negotiations are currently under way in Nairobi, Kenya, at the UN Environment Programme headquarters, to develop a legally binding <a href="https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution">global plastics treaty</a> that covers the full life cycle of plastics – including their production, design and disposal. The <a href="https://ikhapp.org/scientist-about-us/">Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty</a> – a network of independent scientific and technical experts – are calling for decisions to be based on robust evidence.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-global-treaty-to-solve-plastic-pollution-acid-rain-and-ozone-depletion-show-us-why-207622">We need a global treaty to solve plastic pollution – acid rain and ozone depletion show us why</a>
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<p>The focus of the negotiations is understandably on research from the natural sciences. But what role does media play in shaping public and policy responses to the plastics crisis? </p>
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<h2>Images of plastic pollution</h2>
<p>The images of plastic pollution that are sometimes used by media are emotive and powerful, reaching vast numbers of people. The BBC’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09g4d98/blue-planet-ii-series-1-3-coral-reefs">Blue Planet II</a>, which was broadcast worldwide in 2017, showed audiences the impact of plastic waste on the oceans through upsetting scenes. One scene depicted a pilot whale carrying her <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/heartbroken-blue-planet-ii-viewers-pledge-to-cut-plastic-waste-after-upsetting-footage-of-whale-with-dead-calf-poisoned-by-pollution-a3695596.html">dead newborn calf</a>, which narrator Sir David Attenborough said possibly died because the mother’s milk had been poisoned with plastic.</p>
<p>Scenes such as these are now synonymous with plastic pollution. They can raise awareness of the problem and help to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-prisms-plastics/article/global-perceptions-of-plastic-pollution-the-contours-and-limits-of-debate/DB3F2AF3F0A176C73CBF6CC9576713D3">shape the discourse</a> on environmental policy.</p>
<p>After Blue Plant II aired, online searches for “dangers of plastic in the ocean” <a href="https://rapidtransition.org/stories/the-attenborough-effect-and-the-downfall-of-plastics/">increased by 100%</a>. Michael Gove, UK environment secretary at the time, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/19/michael-gove-haunted-by-plastic-pollution-seen-in-blue-planet-ii">said</a> he was “haunted” by images of the damage done to the world’s oceans shown in the series and then introduced a series of proposals aimed at cutting plastic pollution. </p>
<p>However, there is <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-great-that-blue-planet-ii-is-pushing-hard-on-plastic-pollution-in-the-oceans-but-please-use-facts-not-conjecture-87973">no clear evidence</a> in the Blue Planet II sequence that the mother’s milk was actually contaminated with plastics. Imagery such as this can also promote the idea that plastic pollution is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X20300266">problem far removed</a> from our everyday lives and that our actions, whether it be dropping plastic litter or engaging in local clean up initiatives, will have little effect. There is still <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.280?campaign=wolearlyview">no robust evidence</a> linking Blue Planet II to a sustained change in people’s behaviours.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-great-that-blue-planet-ii-is-pushing-hard-on-plastic-pollution-in-the-oceans-but-please-use-facts-not-conjecture-87973">It’s great that Blue Planet II is pushing hard on plastic pollution in the oceans – but please use facts, not conjecture</a>
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<h2>Sidelining issues</h2>
<p>The way in which the media presents the issue of plastic pollution can shape the preference for certain solutions and sidelines others. For instance, many people <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X20300266">believe</a> that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a large collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean – is a solid mass. Framing the problem in this way assumes that plastic pollution can be removed from the ocean with the <a href="https://theoceancleanup.com/boyan-slat/">correct technology</a>.</p>
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<p>However, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281596">scientists describe</a> the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as more akin to a “growing plastic smog” that does contain larger plastic items but is also composed of <a href="https://www.coastalpollutiontoolbox.org/112202/index.php.en">trillions of micro and nanoplastics</a> spread over large distances. </p>
<p>Experts <a href="https://hereon.de/innovation_transfer/communication_media/news/112329/index.php.en">point out</a> that technical fixes are not always the answer, particularly where plastic is spread over huge areas resembling a very thin “plastic soup”. In such cases, technical fixes are less practical, especially when considering the continuous addition of more plastic due to unchecked production. </p>
<h2>Power of media to set the agenda</h2>
<p>There is a <a href="https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(23)00497-9">growing consensus</a> advocating for investment in measures to curb plastic production, rather than investing in costly technical clean-up efforts. However, by emphasising the individual responsibility of consumers to, for example, avoid single-use plastics, media coverage can divert conversations away from reducing plastic production.</p>
<p>The connection between plastics and climate change, or the impact of plastics on global biodiversity loss, are also not often covered by the media as much as emotionally charged images depicting marine animals entangled in plastics.</p>
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<img alt="Green sea turtle entangled in a discarded fishing net." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559908/original/file-20231116-15-nvkm9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Green sea turtle entangled in a discarded fishing net.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-sea-turtle-entangled-discarded-fishing-783912829">Mohamed Abdulraheem</a></span>
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<p>The original focus of the global plastics treaty was on marine litter, but it now encompasses the full life cycle of plastic pollution on all ecosystems. This includes plastic pollution in the atmosphere, and in marine, terrestrial and high altitude environments. This wider scope opens up the opportunity to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-prisms-plastics/article/global-perceptions-of-plastic-pollution-the-contours-and-limits-of-debate/DB3F2AF3F0A176C73CBF6CC9576713D3">explore public perceptions</a> of the full life cycle of plastics.</p>
<p>The media is an invaluable resource that can play a key role in shaping how people perceive various issues. However, while it can effectively highlight the dangers of plastic pollution, there is a risk that an excessive reliance on emotive imagery may distract away from the policy that is actually needed. </p>
<p><em>In response to this article, a BBC spokesperson said that there is significant scientific evidence that contaminants found in some plastics can accumulate in fish and be ingested by adult whales. Those contaminants are then passed on to the offspring through the mother’s milk.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216854/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lesley Henderson receives funding from UKRI/NERC/Innovate UK/ GCRF/ European Space Agency.</span></em></p>Media coverage of the dangers of plastic pollution can distract from what is actually needed, says an author.Lesley Henderson, Chair professor, University of Strathclyde Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2076222023-11-12T19:15:36Z2023-11-12T19:15:36ZWe need a global treaty to solve plastic pollution – acid rain and ozone depletion show us why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558533/original/file-20231109-21-kojsc4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=71%2C149%2C3652%2C2508&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sustainable-waste-management-sorting-plastic-recycling-2281082945">MAD.vertise/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After years of discussion, international negotiations on a global plastics treaty resume <a href="https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-3">this week in Nairobi, Kenya</a>, at the UN Environment Programme headquarters.</p>
<p>The third session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution will take place from today until Sunday November 19.</p>
<p>The committee’s goal is to develop a legally binding agreement, finalised in 2024, to address the full life cycle of plastics – including their production, design and disposal. </p>
<p>Involving 175 nations, the treaty aims to transform plastic waste management, paving the way for new technologies and industries. </p>
<p>The problem of plastic pollution is too big for any one nation to handle. That’s why we need a global approach. It’s worked before with the ozone layer and acid rain and it can work again with plastic. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/plastic-waste-treaty-expert-qanda-on-the-promise-of-a-global-agreement-to-reduce-pollution-178446">Plastic waste treaty: expert Q&A on the promise of a global agreement to reduce pollution</a>
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<h2>How we repaired the ozone layer</h2>
<p>At CSIRO I lead the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/about/challenges-missions/ending-plastic-waste">Ending Plastic Waste Mission</a>, which aims to change the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of plastic. Our work aligns with the aims of the proposed UN plastic treaty, so I have been following the negotiations closely. </p>
<p>Multilateral agreements have helped create significant change in the past. The <a href="https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol">Montreal Protocol</a> shaped environmental and industrial landscapes globally. Enacted in 1987, the protocol’s objective was to phase out substances causing ozone depletion. </p>
<p>The protocol is widely recognised for its global ratification – everyone got on board. And countries continued to adhere to the changes. This ongoing work has not only contributed to the tangible recovery of the ozone layer, but also prevented millions of <a href="https://ozone.unep.org/sdg3">potential cases of skin cancers and cataracts</a>. </p>
<p>The protocol also sparked chemical industry innovation. Industries had to transition away from ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs to more environmentally friendly alternatives. </p>
<p>The earliest replacements – hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs – were quickly recognised <a href="https://www.ccacoalition.org/short-lived-climate-pollutants/hydrofluorocarbons-hfcs">as a potent greenhouse gas</a>, resulting in the <a href="https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol/amendments/kigali-amendment-2016-amendment-montreal-protocol-agreed">2016 Kigali Amendment</a> to the protocol to phase them out too and use climate-friendly alternatives. As a result of this global process, we now have safer chemicals for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10962247.2013.791349">refrigeration and air conditioning</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-the-ozone-layer-why-the-montreal-protocol-worked-9249">Saving the ozone layer: why the Montreal Protocol worked</a>
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<h2>Global legislation can deliver real change</h2>
<p>Clean air legislation is another example. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain">Acid rain</a> became a prominent environmental concern in the latter half of the 20th century. It happens when sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere, typically from industrial processes and the burning of fossil fuels. </p>
<p>Once in the atmosphere, these pollutants react with water vapour to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid. As they fall to the ground mixed with rain or snow, the high acidity harms aquatic ecosystems, forests and even human-made structures. </p>
<p>In response, various countries enacted clean air legislation. For instance, the United States Clean Air Act of 1963, amended several times in the following decades, motivated <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/contsetc.pdf">change in industrial and automotive sectors</a>. </p>
<p>The laws forced industries to transition to cleaner technologies and invest in advanced pollution-control equipment. This paved the way for a widespread adoption of catalytic converters and more fuel-efficient engines. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/air-pollution-your-exposure-and-health-risk-could-depend-on-your-class-ethnicity-or-gender-128272">Air pollution: your exposure and health risk could depend on your class, ethnicity or gender</a>
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<h2>How multilateral agreements can force change</h2>
<p>Regulatory tools such as multilateral agreements introduce restrictions. Instead of doing business as usual, these restrictions then foster cleaner, more sustainable practices. They blend environmental responsibility with business imperatives. As a result, the regulatory changes open up new market opportunities. </p>
<p>Additionally, global collaborations driven by these agreements often encourage the transfer of technologies across borders. This speeds up the adoption of cleaner technologies. </p>
<p>Multilateral environmental agreements can drive <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/rest/bitstreams/35153/retrieve">technological progress and industrial innovation</a>. By establishing high standards and fostering global collaboration, these agreements blend environmental stewardship with industrial evolution. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/container-deposit-schemes-reduce-rubbish-on-our-beaches-heres-how-we-proved-it-213562">Container deposit schemes reduce rubbish on our beaches. Here’s how we proved it</a>
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<h2>Now for the UN plastic treaty</h2>
<p>The global plastic treaty will address <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1260352">the pervasive challenge of plastic pollution</a>, which affects our oceans, marine life and carbon footprint. It is expected to usher in transformative regulations on waste management, reduce the use of single-use plastics and advocate for the circular economy principles of eliminating waste and keeping materials circulating in use. </p>
<p>We are already seeing a shift in plastics manufacturing towards more sustainable, biodegradable, or recyclable plastics. Industries are developing more circular business models that emphasise the reuse and recycling of products and reducing waste. </p>
<p>To reduce single-use plastics, the packaging industry is transitioning towards reduction, reuse and recyclability. Advanced recycling technologies and better bio-derived plastics are expected to emerge as industry standards. </p>
<p>The multilateral treaty and its implementation will help to reduce problematic and unnecessary plastics. It will also speed up the removal of harmful chemicals from product supply chains. </p>
<p>The UN plastic treaty is set to be finalised in 2024. If we can get a global agreement on this, we have a real opportunity to significantly reduce plastic waste for a sustainable future.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-the-new-global-treaty-on-plastic-pollution-can-help-solve-this-crisis-179149">Here's how the new global treaty on plastic pollution can help solve this crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207622/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission is funded through contributions by CSIRO, industry, government, university, and other organisations to develop cutting-edge science and innovation to tackle plastic waste.</span></em></p>United Nations efforts to advance a global treaty on plastic pollution echo past multilateral agreements that tackled ozone layer depletion and acid rain.Deborah Lau, Ending Plastic Waste Mission Director, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2156522023-10-19T19:24:01Z2023-10-19T19:24:01ZNew class of recyclable polymer materials could one day help reduce single-use plastic waste<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554111/original/file-20231016-23-gcf4fp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=79%2C3%2C2038%2C1397&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Single-use plastics. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/various-types-of-plastic-trash-on-the-grass-plastic-royalty-free-image/1325351577?phrase=plastic&adppopup=true">Anton Petrus/Moment</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/">Hundreds of millions of tons</a> of single-use plastic ends up in landfills every year, and even the small percentage of plastic that gets recycled can’t last forever. But our group of materials scientists has developed a new method for creating and deconstructing polymers that could lead to more easily recycled plastics – ones that don’t require you to carefully sort out all your recycling on trash day. </p>
<p>In the century since their conception, people have come to understand the enormous impacts – beneficial as well as detrimental – plastics have on human lives and the environment. As a <a href="https://miyakelab.colostate.edu/">group of polymer scientists</a> dedicated to inventing sustainable solutions for real-world problems, we set out to tackle this issue by rethinking the way polymers are designed and making plastics with recyclability built right in. </p>
<h2>Why use plastics, anyway?</h2>
<p>Everyday items including milk jugs, grocery bags, takeout containers and even ropes are made from a class of <a href="https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/top-types-of-polyolefins-the-most-common-kind-of-plastics/">polymers called polyolefins</a>. Polyolefins make up around <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/plastic-waste-polymer">half of the plastics</a> produced and disposed of every year. </p>
<p>These polymers are used in plastics commonly labeled as HDPE, LLDPE or PP, or by their recycling codes #2, #4 and #5, respectively. These plastics are incredibly durable because the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635">chemical bonds</a> that make them up are extremely stable. But in a world set up for single-use consumption, this is no longer a design feature but rather a design flaw. </p>
<p><iframe id="2k7dQ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2k7dQ/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Imagine if half of the plastics used today were recyclable by twice as many processes as they are now. While that wouldn’t get the recycling rate to 100%, a jump from single digits – <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-releases-plastics-innovation-challenge-draft-roadmap-and-request">currently around 9%</a> – to double digits would make a big dent in the plastics produced, the plastics accumulated in the environment and their capacity for recycling and reuse. </p>
<h2>Recycling methods we already have</h2>
<p>Even the plastics that make it to a recycling facility <a href="https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/plastics-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive">can’t be reused</a> in exactly the same way they were used before – the recycling process degrades the material, so it loses utility and value. Instead of making a plastic cup that is downgraded each time it gets recycled, manufacturers could potentially make plastics once, collect them and reuse them on and on.</p>
<p>Conventional recycling requires careful sorting of all the collected materials, which can be hard with so many different plastics. Here in the U.S., collection happens mainly through <a href="https://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/issues/single-stream-recycling">single stream recycling</a> – everything from metal cans, glass bottles, cardboard boxes and plastic cups end up in the same bin. Separating paper from metal doesn’t require complex technology, but sorting a polypropylene container from a polyethylene milk jug is hard to do without the occasional mistake. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two workers, in bright yellow, stand at a conveyor belt covered in plastics in a recycling facility." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554113/original/file-20231016-20-hwyi6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Recycling workers sort through materials.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/OhioRecycling/d1c2014b8c194d55b9f06a328b2dd4a5/photo?Query=recycling%20plant&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=181&currentItemNo=22&vs=true">AP Photo/Mark Gillispie</a></span>
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<p>When two different plastics are mixed together during recycling, their useful properties are hugely reduced – to the point of <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-its-so-hard-to-recycle-plastic/">making them useless</a>. </p>
<p>But say you can recycle one of these plastics by a different method, so it doesn’t end up contaminating the recycling stream. When we mixed samples of polypropylene with a polymer we made, we were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh3353">still able to depolymerize</a> – or break down the material – and regain our building blocks without chemically affecting the polypropylene. This indicated that a contaminated waste stream could still recover its value, and the material in it could go on to be recycled, either mechanically or chemically. </p>
<h2>Plastics we need − but more recyclable</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh3353">a study published in October 2023</a>, our team developed a series of polymers with only two simple building blocks – one soft polymer and one hard polymer – that mimicked polyolefins but could also be chemically recycled.</p>
<p>Connecting two different polymers together multiple times until they form a single, long molecule creates what’s called a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.1c00500">multiblock polymer</a>. Just by adjusting how much of each polymer type goes into the multiblock polymer, our team created a wide range of materials with properties that spanned across polyolefin types. But creating these multiblock polymers is easier said than done. </p>
<p>To link these hard and soft polymers, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh3353">adapted a technique</a> that had previously been used only on very small molecules. This method is improved relative to traditional methods of making polymers in a step-by-step fashion, developed in the 1920s, where the reactive groups on the end of the molecules need to be exactly matched. </p>
<p>In our method, the reactive groups are now the same as each other, meaning we didn’t have to worry about pairing the ends of each building block to make polymers that can compete with the polyolefins we already use. Using the same strategy, applied in reverse by adding hydrogen, we could disconnect the polymers back into their building blocks and easily separate them to use again. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph showing a steady increase in single-use plastic use across all plastic types shown, from X to projected in 2050." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554857/original/file-20231019-21-9enk8w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Realized and predicted production of commodity plastics through 2050.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021/01/f82/Plastics%20Innovation%20Challenge%20Draft%20Roadmap.pdf">International Energy Agency</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>With an almost <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/plastic-consumption-course-nearly-double-by-2050-research-2023-02-27/">twofold increase in annual plastic use</a> projected through 2050, the complexity and quantity of plastic recycling will only increase. It’s an important consideration when designing new materials and products. </p>
<p>Using just two building blocks to make plastics that have a huge variety of properties can go a long way toward reducing and streamlining the number of different plastics used to make the products we need. Instead of needing one plastic to make something pliable, another for something stiff, and a third, fourth and fifth for properties in between, we could control the behavior of plastics by just changing how much of each building block is there.</p>
<p>Although we’re still in the process of answering some big questions about these polymers, we believe this work is a step in the right direction toward more sustainable plastics. </p>
<p>We were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh3353">able to create materials</a> that mimic the properties of plastics the world relies on, and our sights are now set on creating plastic compositions that you couldn’t with existing methods.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215652/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Harry receives funding from RePLACE (Redesigning Polymers to Leverage a Circular Economy) funded by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Rettner receives funding from RePLACE (Redesigning Polymers to Leverage a Circular Economy) funded by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy.</span></em></p>A team of scientists has developed a method for creating a new class of plastic materials that are potentially more recyclable than single-use plastics.Katherine Harry, PhD Student in Chemistry, Colorado State UniversityEmma Rettner, PhD Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering, Colorado State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2145732023-10-05T12:35:46Z2023-10-05T12:35:46ZLego’s ESG dilemma: Why an abandoned plan to use recycled plastic bottles is a wake-up call for supply chain sustainability<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551813/original/file-20231003-27-dy1q3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C2995%2C1994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Legos are designed to last for decades. That posed a challenge when the toymaker tried to switch to recycled plastics.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/JapanLegoVermeer/44d6901361e34da99801b802fd976bb2/photo">AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lego, the world’s <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/241241/revenue-of-major-toy-companies-worldwide/">largest toy manufacturer</a>, has built a reputation not only for the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-much-abuse-can-a-single-lego-brick-take-343398/">durability of its bricks</a>, designed to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/lego-design-sustainability-circular-economy">last for decades</a>, but also for its substantial investment in sustainability. The company has <a href="https://www.esgtoday.com/lego-to-invest-over-1-4-billion-to-reduce-emissions-commits-to-net-zero-by-2050/">pledged US$1.4 billion</a> to reduce carbon emissions by 2025, despite netting <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lego-profit-sales-higher-prices-denmark-daa98df56563de4b9fa02185862b1b3a">annual profits of just over $2 billion</a> in 2022. </p>
<p>This commitment isn’t just for show. Lego sees its core customers as children and their parents, and <a href="https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability">sustainability</a> is fundamentally about ensuring that future generations inherit a planet as hospitable as the one we enjoy today. </p>
<p>So it was surprising when the Financial Times reported on <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6cad1883-f87a-471d-9688-c1a3c5a0b7dc">Sept. 25, 2023</a>, that Lego had pulled out of its widely publicized “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/bottles-bricks-lego-finds-right-fit-with-recycled-plastic-2021-06-23/">Bottles to Bricks</a>” initiative.</p>
<p>This ambitious project aimed to replace traditional Lego plastic with a new material made from recycled plastic bottles. However, when Lego assessed the project’s environmental impact throughout its supply chain, it found that producing bricks with the recycled plastic would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/24/lego-abandons-effort-to-make-bricks-from-recycled-plastic-bottles">require extra materials and energy</a> to make them durable enough. Because this conversion process would result in higher carbon emissions, the company decided to stick with its current fossil fuel-based materials while <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2023/september/the-lego-group-remains-committed-to-make-lego-bricks-from-sustainable-materials">continuing to search</a> for more sustainable alternatives.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://tinglongdai.com">experts</a> in <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/hau-l-lee">global supply chains</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Kk-QbksAAAAJ&hl=en">sustainability</a>, we believe Lego’s pivot is the beginning of a larger trend toward developing sustainable solutions for entire supply chains in a circular economy. New regulations <a href="https://www.isscorporatesolutions.com/library/are-european-companies-ready-for-scope-3-disclosures/">in the European Union</a> – and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-climate-bill-clears-senate-governor-newsom-have-final-say-2023-09-12/">expected in California</a> – are about to speed things up.</p>
<h2>Examining all the emissions, cradle to grave</h2>
<p>Business leaders are increasingly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2021.0295">integrating environmental, social and governance factors</a>, commonly known as ESG, into their operational and strategic frameworks. But the pursuit of sustainability requires attention to the entire life cycle of a product, from its materials and manufacturing processes to its use and ultimate disposal.</p>
<p>The results can lead to counterintuitive outcomes, as Lego discovered.</p>
<p>Understanding a company’s entire carbon footprint requires looking at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-1-and-scope-2-inventory-guidance">three types of emissions</a>: Scope 1 emissions are generated directly by a company’s internal operations. Scope 2 emissions are caused by generating the electricity, steam, heat or cooling a company consumes. And <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance">scope 3</a> emissions are generated by a company’s supply chain, from upstream suppliers to downstream distributors and end customers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Lists of examples of sope 1, 2, 3 emissions sources with an illustration of a factory in the center" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450130/original/file-20220304-13-727hza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions involve.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/why-companies-should-be-required-to-disclose-their-scope-3-emissions/">Chester Hawkins/Center for American Progress</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>Currently, <a href="https://www.isscorporatesolutions.com/library/are-european-companies-ready-for-scope-3-disclosures">fewer than 30%</a> of companies report meaningful scope 3 emissions, in part because these emissions are difficult to track. Yet, companies’ scope 3 emissions are on average <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/research/global-reports/transparency-to-transformation">11.4 times greater</a> than their <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-1-and-scope-2-inventory-guidance">scope 1</a> emissions, data from corporate disclosures reported to the nonprofit CDP show.</p>
<p>Lego is a case study of this lopsided distribution and the importance of tracking scope 3 emissions. A staggering <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/sustainability/environment/our-co2-footprint">98% of Lego’s carbon emissions</a> are categorized as scope 3. </p>
<p>From 2020 to 2021, the company’s total emissions increased by 30%, amid surging demand for Lego sets during the COVID-19 lockdowns – even though the company’s scope 2 emissions related to purchased energy such as electricity decreased by 40%. The increase was almost entirely in its scope 3 emissions.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3oiy9eekzk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Lego’s tour of how its toy bricks are made doesn’t address the supply chain, where most of Lego’s greenhouse gas emissions originate.</span></figcaption>
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<p>As more companies follow in Lego’s footsteps and begin reporting scope 3 emissions, they will likely find themselves in the same position, realizing that efforts to reduce carbon emissions often boil down to supply chain and consumer-use emissions. And the results may force them to make some tough choices.</p>
<h2>Policy and disclosure: The next frontier</h2>
<p>New regulations in the European Union and pending in California are designed to increase corporate emissions transparency by including supply chain emissions.</p>
<p>The EU in June 2023 adopted the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards, which will require publicly traded companies in the EU to <a href="https://www.isscorporatesolutions.com/library/are-european-companies-ready-for-scope-3-disclosures/%22%22">disclose their scope 3 emissions</a>, starting in their reports for fiscal year 2024.</p>
<p>California’s legislature <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-climate-bill-clears-senate-governor-newsom-have-final-say-2023-09-12/#:%7E:text=Sept%2012%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20California's,in%20setting%20corporate%20climate%20rules.%22%22">passed similar legislation</a> requiring companies with revenues of more than $1 billion to disclose their scope 3 emissions. California’s governor has until Oct. 14, 2023, to consider the bill and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-governor-gavin-newsom-climate-bills-global-warming-2c5adbb29e67b753e396169195430ffb">is expected to sign it</a>.</p>
<p>At the federal level, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released a proposal in March 2022 that, if finalized, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/secs-climate-disclosure-rule-isnt-here-but-it-may-as-well-be-many-businesses-say-854789bd/">would require</a> all public companies to report climate-related risk and emissions data, including scope 3 emissions. After <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/securities-law/sec-climate-rules-pushed-back-amid-bureaucratic-legal-woes%22%22">receiving significant pushback</a>, the SEC began reconsidering the scope 3 reporting rule. But SEC Chairman Gary Gensler suggested during a congressional hearing in late September 2023 that California’s move <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sec-chief-says-new-california-law-could-change-baseline-coming-sec-climate-rule-2023-09-27/">could influence federal regulators’ decision</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MacoRZSLzTc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">SEC Chairman Gary Gensler explains the importance of climate-related risk disclosures.</span></figcaption>
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<p>This increased focus on disclosure of scope 3 emissions will undoubtedly increase pressure on companies. </p>
<p>Because scope 3 emissions are significant, yet often not measured or reported, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05151-9">consumers are rightly concerned</a> that companies that claim to have low emissions <a href="https://makersite.io/insights/whitepaper-the-cost-of-greenwashing/">may be greenwashing</a> without taking action to reduce emissions in their supply chains to combat climate change. </p>
<p>At the same time, we suspect that as more investors support sustainable investing, they may prefer to invest in companies that are transparent in disclosing all areas of emissions. Ultimately, we believe consumers, investors and governments will demand more than lip service from companies. Instead, they’ll expect companies to take actionable steps to reduce the most significant part of a company’s carbon footprint – scope 3 emissions. </p>
<h2>A journey, not a destination</h2>
<p>The Lego example serves as a cautionary tale in the complex ESG landscape for which <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/three-quarters-firms-globally-are-not-ready-new-esg-rules-kpmg-finds-2023-09-26/">most companies are not well prepared</a>. As more companies come under scrutiny for their entire carbon footprint, we may see more instances where well-intentioned sustainability efforts run into uncomfortable truths. </p>
<p>This calls for a nuanced understanding of sustainability, not as a checklist of good deeds, but as a complex, ongoing process that requires vigilance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/esg-investing-has-a-blind-spot-that-puts-the-35-trillion-industrys-sustainability-promises-in-doubt-supply-chains-170199">transparency</a> and, above all, a commitment to the benefit of future generations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214573/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Corporate supply chains are riddled with high, uncounted emissions, as Lego discovered. New regulations mean more companies will face tough, sometimes surprising, choices.Tinglong Dai, Professor of Operations Management & Business Analytics, Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins UniversityChristopher S. Tang, Professor of Supply Chain Management, University of California, Los AngelesHau L. Lee, Professor of Operations, Information & Technology, Stanford UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2146122023-10-02T15:45:01Z2023-10-02T15:45:01ZNew single-use plastic ban takes effect in England – here’s why its impact may be limited<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551362/original/file-20231002-17-1w1syd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4594%2C3456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new ban prohibits businesses in England from selling some single-use plastic products.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-plastic-cutlery-on-sand-beach-1472806664">Freepik2/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Single-use plastic and packaging has become an essential part of our lives. In the UK, households collectively throw away an <a href="https://thebigplasticcount.com/">estimated 100 billion pieces</a> of plastic packaging each year. </p>
<p>One way to reduce the amount of plastic we use is to introduce bans. In 2020, the UK government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/straws-cotton-buds-and-drink-stirrers-ban-rules-for-businesses-in-england">banned the sale</a> of several single-use plastic products in England including straws, stirrers and cotton buds – but with exceptions for medical use.</p>
<p>Now, in an effort to further combat plastic pollution, a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-bans-and-restrictions-on-polluting-single-use-plastics-come-into-force">new ban</a> has been introduced. From October 1 2023, businesses in England are prohibited from selling several other single-use plastic products including plastic cutlery, balloon sticks and polystyrene cups.</p>
<p>But what will this ban actually change, and how effective is it likely to be? At the University of Portsmouth’s Global Plastics Policy Centre, we have <a href="https://plasticspolicy.port.ac.uk/policy-reviews/">reviewed more than 40 bans</a> on plastic items to understand what makes such a policy successful.</p>
<h2>What will the ban change?</h2>
<p>People in the UK will no longer be able to buy single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays, unless they come with prepared food. Plastic cutlery and balloon sticks should disappear entirely. Plastics that are particularly difficult to recycle like polystyrene cups also have stricter rules, but with a few exceptions too. </p>
<p>We will probably see a shift away from the familiar polystyrene containers used by takeaways towards alternative materials. These new containers could be made from biodegradable materials (which are difficult to define and can also have an environmental impact), or from other types of potentially harmful single-use plastic. </p>
<p>The new ban also doesn’t cover single-use plastic packaging. Shoppers are therefore unlikely to notice significant changes in supermarket aisles selling prepared fruit and vegetables, ready meals, pre-packaged salads and snacks.</p>
<p>This is concerning. Single-use plastic packaging is one of the <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-10/WRAP-Composition%20of%20Plastic%20Waste%20Collected%20via%20Kerbside%20v2.pdf">leading sources of plastic pollution</a> in the UK.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Apples for sale in a Waitrose supermarket." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551394/original/file-20231002-23-8m6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Single-use plastic packaging is not covered by the new ban.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/thatcham-berkshire-march-31-2018-opal-1058485115">photocritical/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How effective will the ban be?</h2>
<p>The new ban is a step towards tackling the impacts of pollution caused by single-use plastics. It’s an easy and quick win that raises awareness about the plastic crisis and garners public support. However, for such a ban to be genuinely effective, several key elements must be in place.</p>
<p>A policy must have specific, clear and measurable objectives, along with a mechanism for monitoring progress. This ensures that those affected understand the ban’s purpose and how its progress will be assessed, while also promoting accountability. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/982/contents/made">government’s new ban</a> lacks any specific or measurable objectives. And there is no mechanism for monitoring.</p>
<p>There should be provisions for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics that are less harmful to the environment and human health. But the government has provided no guidance on the alternatives businesses can use. </p>
<p>Failing to provide viable alternatives can simply displace the problem instead of addressing it. Under the new rules, businesses are responsible for working out what complies and whether it is economically viable. This approach does little to discourage reliance on single-use materials.</p>
<p>Supporting initiatives that <a href="https://plasticspolicy.port.ac.uk/research/making-reuse-reality/">encourage a transition</a> towards using reusable packaging for pre-packaged food and takeaways would have more impact on decreasing the need for new plastic production. This, in turn, would combat plastic pollution and align with goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<h2>Improving awareness</h2>
<p>Engaging businesses from the outset <a href="https://plasticspolicy.port.ac.uk/final-report/">can generate buy-in and support</a> for a ban. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK government has worked closely with industry, trade bodies and local authorities to prepare businesses and promote compliance. For example, businesses were given several months after the consultation on the ban to prepare and use up excess stock.</p>
<p>However, this engagement may not have been successful. Many businesses have <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66946643">claimed they were unaware</a> of the new regulations.</p>
<p>Adequate public awareness is also necessary to ensure everyone understands the reasons behind the ban, how it affects them, and what the available alternatives are. In Rwanda, where a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2399654421994836">ban on plastic bags</a> was introduced in 2008, announcements were made on airlines and at ports of entry to inform visitors.</p>
<p>In a similar way, the UK government’s recent ban is accompanied by <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-plastics-ban-plates-bowls-trays-containers-cutlery-and-balloon-sticks">official guidance</a> explaining the ban’s implications. But the ban also includes numerous exceptions which could be confusing for businesses and customers.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1676610655632359424"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://plasticspolicy.port.ac.uk/final-report/">Our research</a> suggests that bans are most effective when part of a wider set of policies that address every stage of the plastic lifecycle, rather than being isolated measures. The ban in England does not restrict the production, import or export of single-use plastic items, allowing them to be manufactured and shipped abroad. </p>
<p>Additionally, the numerous exemptions and limited range of items covered mean the ban is insufficient to tackle wider plastic pollution issues, such as single-use plastic packaging, cigarette butts and actual balloons (as opposed to just balloon sticks).</p>
<p>Single-use plastic bans can help to remove problem plastics. But, to make any real difference, they require access to reusable alternatives, strong communication to businesses and users, and must be supported by a wider framework of policies that change our relationship and dependence on single-use plastic.</p>
<p>Any progress towards ending plastic pollution is positive. However, the new ban has to be seen as merely the first step in addressing a fraction of a continually expanding problem. The UK government can enhance its bans by targeting the <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-10/WRAP-Composition%20of%20Plastic%20Waste%20Collected%20via%20Kerbside%20v2.pdf">most significant contributors</a> to waste – single-use plastic packaging would be a good place to start.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation and Defra.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cressida Bowyer receives funding from UKRI. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keiron Roberts receives funding from UKRI and Defra. </span></em></p>The new ban will raise awareness about the plastic crisis. But failing to provide viable alternatives may simply displace the problem, instead of addressing itAntaya March, Lead Researcher - Global Plastics Policy Centre, University of PortsmouthCressida Bowyer, Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability, University of PortsmouthKeiron Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and the Built Environment, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2126662023-09-28T12:28:30Z2023-09-28T12:28:30ZSea glass, a treasure formed from trash, is on the decline as single-use plastic takes over<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550352/original/file-20230926-29-z2b42x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C19%2C2114%2C1390&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Every piece of sea glass has a story − but sea glass could be on the decline. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/handful-of-sea-glass-royalty-free-image/1442716713?phrase=sea+glass&adppopup=true">Olga Pankova/Moment</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you stroll along a beach, you may look down and spot colorful bits of worn glass mixed in with the sand. But the little treasures you’ve found actually began as discarded trash. </p>
<p>As an <a href="https://www.uml.edu/sciences/eeas/faculty/weeden-lori.aspx">environmental science professor</a>, I find these gifts from the sea particularly interesting. I have analyzed sand from across the world and added samples, including one of sea glass, into a collection for the environmental, earth and atmospheric sciences at UMass Lowell. The way this trash-turned-treasure washes up on beaches reflects an intersection between human activity and Earth’s natural processes.</p>
<h2>A history of glass</h2>
<p>Prior to the proliferation of single-use plastics starting in the early 1970s, glass was the container of choice. People in <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/article/592/roman-glass/">ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome</a> used glass for windows, bottles, plates, bowls and more. </p>
<p>In the mid-20th century, people across the United States had milk bottles <a href="https://food52.com/blog/20229-milkmen-history">delivered to their homes</a>, and soda came in <a href="https://www.waybacktimes.com/collecting/short-history-glass-bottles/">glass bottles</a>. After these glass containers served their purpose, users would toss them into a dump. </p>
<p>Before the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/earth-days-modern-environmental-movement/">environmental movements of the 1960s</a>, trash dumps in the United States were often left open and exposed to rain and wind. As many of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/learn-about-ocean-dumping#Before%5D">these trash heaps</a> sat near waterways or coves, runoff would wash the trash – including discarded glass bottles – into the ocean.</p>
<p>On their way to the ocean, glass bottles would run into rocks and other objects, which would break the glass into smaller pieces. When these fractured bits traveled close enough to the coast, high tides and incoming waves would wash them out to sea. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2010.077">Wave action</a> causes these fragments to slide and roll along the sandy seafloor. It’s this movement that rounds the glass’ sharp edges and gives the once smooth and clear glass its pitted, frosted appearance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Plastic waste litters sand on a beach, with waves seen in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547052/original/file-20230907-15-tzx3s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With the shift to single-use plastic, beaches have more plastic waste and less sea glass.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=plastic%20pollution%20beach&mediaType=photo&st=keyword&vs=true">AP Photo/Julio Cortez</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sand to glass, then back to the sand</h2>
<p>All glass, including sea glass, <a href="https://www.glassallianceeurope.eu/en/what-is-glass">begins as sand</a>, specifically <a href="https://www.sandatlas.org/quartz-sand/">quartz sand</a>. Quartz sand is clear or white – you can see it on many beaches along <a href="https://www.scgov.net/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/521/4318">Florida’s Gulf Coast</a>. </p>
<p>To make glass from sand, <a href="https://www.ftmmachinery.com/blog/high-purity-quartz-sand-what-is-it-used-for-and-how-to-get-it.html">refiners first purify their quartz sand</a> using both physical and chemical processes to remove all minerals but quartz. They then melt the remaining quartz sand, add a bit of soda ash and limestone to increase the malleability and strength of the glass, and reform it into bottles, bowls, windows and more. </p>
<p>Because quartz is the foundation of all glass, many of <a href="https://geologyscience.com/minerals/quartz/?amp">the mineral’s characteristics</a> are reflected in sea glass. The most obvious is its clarity – quartz is nearly translucent – but also how quartz fractures or breaks. Quartz fractures tend to be a special type of break, called a conchoidal fracture. This type of fracture begins from a single point and breaks outwardly in a semicircular shape, so that the broken surface kind of looks like the inside of a seashell. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A zoomed in look at sand -- several small rocks of varying colors, from yellow to white to gray." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550355/original/file-20230926-26-kdhsgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The yellowish piece of glass pictured in the center has a conchoidal fracture common for quartz.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lori Weeden</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Quartz is also <a href="https://geologyscience.com/minerals/quartz/?amp">highly resistant to chemical weathering</a>. Because sea glass is made from quartz, it tends to break down into smaller fragments, but it won’t weather away quickly.</p>
<p>Most sea glass spends <a href="http://www.seaglassjournal.com/articles/pureseaglass/lamotte.htm">at least a few decades</a> on the seafloor getting tossed around and smoothing its sharp edges in the sand. Some pieces of sea glass are estimated to be <a href="http://www.seaglassjournal.com/articles/pureseaglass/lamotte.htm">hundreds of years old</a> – it’s quartz’s hardiness that allows sea glass to persist in the environment for such a long time. </p>
<h2>A global industry</h2>
<p>Selling and trading sea glass is a multimillion-dollar industry in the United States, supported by organizations like the <a href="https://www.westcoastseaglass.com/north-american-sea-glass-association">North American Sea Glass Association</a> and the <a href="https://seaglassassociation.org/">International Sea Glass Association</a>.</p>
<p>Sea glass jewelry and collections populate craft shows all around the country. There are likely very few beach towns in the United States without a local sea glass jeweler selling custom designs. </p>
<p>With the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/single-use-plastic-waste-rises-2019-2021-despite-pledges-2023-02-06/">explosion of single-use plastics</a> as an alternative to glass bottles, sea glass may soon become <a href="https://inweh.unu.edu/global-bottled-water-industry-a-review-of-impacts-and-trends/">harder to find</a>, with less glass and more plastic in the supply chain. </p>
<p>As sea glass becomes harder to find, some retailers are creating their own artificial sea glass using rock tumblers and chemicals. The difference between the real and artificial beach glass <a href="https://seaglassassociation.org/genuine-vs-artificial/">is subtle</a> but still recognizable. Artificial sea glass has a uniformly frosted exterior, without the pitting seen in natural sea glass. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A close up image of sand, which looks like small rocks, with a green, translucent piece of sea glass" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549176/original/file-20230919-29-z0z4m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Artificial sea glass doesn’t have the same pitted texture as real sea glass. Pictured here in green is real sea glass, with small, textured marks across its surface.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lori Weeden</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The public may eventually become less interested in single-use items and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/06/07/plastic-alternatives-glass-aluminum-paper/">turn back to glass</a>. Unlike plastic, glass can be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/06/07/plastic-alternatives-glass-aluminum-paper/">recycled multiple times</a> without losing its integrity, and glass doesn’t have the same environmental impact as <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/microplastics/">microplastics</a>. </p>
<p>But because there aren’t many markets for recycled glass and it’s heavy and difficult to transport, it’s not always financially beneficial <a href="https://cen.acs.org/materials/inorganic-chemistry/glass-recycling-US-broken/97/i6">to recycle glass</a>.</p>
<p>However, activists have demanded environmentally friendly alternatives to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2020.1801922">single-use plastics</a> in recent years. Aluminum bottles and cans are becoming more popular, and glass will remain an alternative to plastic. Unless it’s properly recycled, discarded glass will continue providing sea glass for the next generations to discover.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212666/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lori Weeden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sea glass, while an eye-catching treasure and a multimillion-dollar industry, exists because of decades of improper waste management.Lori Weeden, Teaching Professor of Environmental Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, UMass LowellLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2135622023-09-25T20:07:23Z2023-09-25T20:07:23ZContainer deposit schemes reduce rubbish on our beaches. Here’s how we proved it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549248/original/file-20230920-21-xmj3uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4896%2C3246&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Our beaches are in trouble. Limited recycling programs and a society that throws away so much have resulted in more than <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01216-0">3 million tonnes of plastic</a> polluting the oceans. An estimated <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01216-0">1.5–1.9% of this rubbish</a> ends up on beaches.</p>
<p>So can waste-management strategies such as container deposit schemes make a difference to this <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01216-0">50,000–60,000 tonnes</a> of beach rubbish?</p>
<p>The Queensland government started a <a href="https://containerexchange.com.au/">container deposit scheme</a> in 2019. We wanted to know if it reduced the rubbish that washed up on beaches in a tourist hotspot, the Whitsundays region. </p>
<p>To find out, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X23009050">our study</a>, the first of its kind, used data from a <a href="https://ecobargecleanseas.org.au/">community volunteer group</a> through the <a href="https://amdi.tangaroablue.org/">Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database</a>.</p>
<p>It turned out that for the types of rubbish included in the scheme – plastic bottles and aluminium cans – the answer was an emphatic yes.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/spotting-plastic-waste-from-space-and-counting-the-fish-in-the-seas-heres-how-ai-can-help-protect-the-oceans-196222">Spotting plastic waste from space and counting the fish in the seas: here's how AI can help protect the oceans</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Container deposit schemes work</h2>
<p>After the scheme began, there were fewer plastic bottles and aluminium cans on Whitsundays beaches. Volunteer clean-up workers collected an average of about 120 containers per beach visit before the scheme began in 2019. This number fell to 77 in 2020.</p>
<p>Not only that, but those numbers stayed down year after year. This means people continued to take part in the scheme for years. </p>
<p>Rubbish that wasn’t part of the scheme still found its way to the beaches.</p>
<p>However, more types of rubbish such as larger <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/management/waste/recovery/reduction/container-refund/proposed-expansion">glass bottles are being added</a> to the four-year-old Queensland scheme. Other states and territories have had schemes like this for many years, the oldest in South Australia since 1971. </p>
<p>But we didn’t have access to beach data from before and after those schemes started. So our findings are great news, especially as <a href="https://consult.dwer.wa.gov.au/strategic-policy/container-deposit-scheme-expanding-scope/">some</a> of <a href="https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/act-container-deposit-scheme-expansion">these</a> other <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2022/epamedia221015-cheers-nsw-return-and-earn-set-to-expand">schemes</a> are set to expand too. The evidence also supports the creation of new schemes in Victoria this November and Tasmania next year.</p>
<p>These developments give reason to hope we will see further reductions in beach litter.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1702893438654710245"}"></div></p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/spin-the-bottle-the-fraught-politics-of-container-deposit-schemes-37981">Spin the bottle: the fraught politics of container deposit schemes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The data came from the community</h2>
<p>To find out whether the scheme has reduced specific sorts of rubbish on beaches we needed a large amount of data from before and after it began. </p>
<p>The unsung heroes of this study are the diligent volunteers who provided us with these data. They have been recording the types and amounts of rubbish found during their cleanups at Whitsundays beaches for years. </p>
<p>Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc has been doing this work since 2009. In taking that extra step of counting and sorting the rubbish, they may not have known it at the time, but they were creating a data gold mine. We would eventually use their data to prove the container deposit scheme works.</p>
<p>The rubbish clean-ups are continuing. This means we’ll be able to see how <a href="https://containerexchange.com.au/qld-scheme-expansion/">adding more rubbish types</a> to the scheme will further reduce rubbish on beaches. </p>
<p>The long-term perspective we can gain from such data is testament to this sustained community effort.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/local-efforts-have-cut-plastic-waste-on-australias-beaches-by-almost-30-in-6-years-184243">Local efforts have cut plastic waste on Australia's beaches by almost 30% in 6 years</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>There’s still more work to do</h2>
<p>So if we recycle our plastics, why do we still get beaches covered in rubbish? The reality is that <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled/">most plastics aren’t recycled</a>. This is mainly due to two problems:</p>
<ul>
<li>technological limitations on the sorting needed to avoid contamination of waste streams</li>
<li>inadequate incentives for people to reduce contamination by properly sorting their waste, and ultimately to use products made from recycled waste.</li>
</ul>
<p>Our findings show we can create more sustainable practices and a cleaner environment when individuals are given incentives to recycle. </p>
<p>However, container deposit schemes don’t just provide a financial reward. Getting people directly involved in recycling fosters a sense of responsibility for the environment. This connection between people’s actions and outcomes is a key to such schemes’ success. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-100-recyclable-packaging-target-is-no-use-if-our-waste-isnt-actually-recycled-95857">The new 100% recyclable packaging target is no use if our waste isn't actually recycled</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our study also shows how invaluable community-driven clean-up projects are. Not only do they reduce environmental harm and improve our experiences on beaches, but they can also provide scientists like us with the data we need to show how waste-management policies affect the environment. </p>
<p>Waste management is a concern for communities, policymakers and environmentalists around the world. The lessons from our study apply not only in Australia but anywhere that communities can work with scientists and governments to solve environmental problems.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213562/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Volunteers have been collecting and sorting washed-up rubbish on the beach for years. Thanks to their efforts, we have data on whether container deposit schemes help the issue.Kay Critchell, Lecturer in Oceanography, Deakin UniversityMichael Traurig, PhD Researcher, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2097882023-08-07T00:46:05Z2023-08-07T00:46:05ZPlastic rocks, plutonium, and chicken bones: the markers we’re laying down in deep time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540679/original/file-20230802-23-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C13%2C2982%2C1553&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rocks keep time. Not on our human-scale time, but deep time: the almost unimaginable span of billions of years which have already come and gone. </p>
<p>Let’s say you’re in the far future and you’re looking for evidence of previous civilisations. Where would you look? The first place would be in the rocks. </p>
<p>For decades, experts have debated whether our world-spanning impact on the planet represents the sign of a new geological period, the Anthropocene. Only recently, scientists selected a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-canadian-lake-holds-the-key-to-the-beginning-of-the-anthropocene-a-new-geological-epoch-209576">small lake</a> in Canada as the site that best records our impact.</p>
<p>That’s because the waters of the lake don’t mix, which means sediment falling into the lake is laid down neatly and in incredible detail. Over long periods, the lake’s <a href="https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glacial-geology/varves/">varved sediments</a> have preserved an excellent, undisturbed record of the Anthropocene. </p>
<p>But what would have to be in those sediments to leave indelible evidence of our presence? Here are five of the markers we’re leaving for the future. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1678814180848050177"}"></div></p>
<h2>What markers are we laying down in rock?</h2>
<p>We break up deep time into parts. Everyone is familiar with periods such as the Jurassic. But what separates them? Usually, a change in the global environment so large it leaves permanent evidence visible in the rock layers. That could be an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Paleogene_extinction_event">asteroid strike</a>, gargantuan <a href="https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs-ancient-fossils/extinction/deccan-traps-volcanoes">volcanic eruptions</a> in what is now India or trillions of bacteria <a href="https://asm.org/Articles/2022/February/The-Great-Oxidation-Event-How-Cyanobacteria-Change">injecting oxygen</a> into the atmosphere and making respiration possible. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="ocean cliffs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540660/original/file-20230802-27-iod8xt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Experts learn to read rock layers like a book of deep time. Each layer on these cliffs tells a story of changing environments over millions of years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So to declare that we’re in a new geological epoch – and that we’ve left the balmy post-ice age Holocene behind – requires finding evidence of unmistakably clear markers. Here are five possibilities. </p>
<h2>1. Plastics and plastic rocks</h2>
<p>Plastics aren’t naturally produced – they’re manufactured from feedstock such as oil, coal, cellulose and fossil gas. Finding plastics in a sediment or rock layer is a clear sign that the layer dates from modern times. </p>
<p>There are also plastiglomerates, the mutant offspring of plastics and rock. These have been found in several places worldwide. They can be produced when plastic is heated, such as <a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-03-scientists-disturbing-remote-island-plastic.html">in campfires</a>, or in bushfires. But they’re also being found in other places <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01037-6">such as creeks</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Concrete</h2>
<p>Concrete is now the <a href="https://www.anthropocene-curriculum.org/contribution/concrete-a-stratigraphic-marker-for-the-anthropocene">most abundant</a> human-made “rock” on the planet’s surface. Future archaeologists could dig down through mud and detritus to identify when widescale use of concrete first became obvious. This would tell them they’d struck the 20th century. Concrete, of course, has been used for millennia – ancient Roman concrete is <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106">still standing</a> in some places. But it didn’t become ubiquitous until recently. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="tunelboca beach anthropocene" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540649/original/file-20230802-27-6zixs7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cement, brick and industrial waste has been laid down in newly formed beachrock at Tunelboca beach in Spain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Chicken bones</h2>
<p>Humans like chicken. As of 2018, we <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/science/chicken-anthropocene-archaeology.html">were eating</a> about 65 billion of these birds a year. At any one time, there are 23 billion chickens alive. But why would chicken bones be a telltale sign we were here? Because of how common they are – and because our long reliance on these birds has changed them dramatically. They no longer resemble their sleek <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/how-wild-jungle-fowl-became-chicken">jungle fowl</a> antecedents – they’re far larger, grow quicker and eat differently. Broiler (meat) chickens can’t survive without human intervention. These changes are <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.180325">so profound </a>that it’s as if we’ve bred a new species, according to paleobiology and Anthropocene expert Jan Zalasiewicz, who <a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-07-proof-humans-reshaped-world-chickens.html">told AFP</a>: “It usually takes millions of years […] but here it has taken just decades to produce a new form of animal.” </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="broiler chicken farm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540657/original/file-20230802-29-yj4k10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Broiler chickens grow much faster than their wild ancestors – and we breed billions upon billions every year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Plutonium and nuclear residue</h2>
<p>Nuclear testing began in the 1940s and accelerated through the 1950s and 60s before being phased out. Testing of new bombs <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/nuclear-tests-have-changed-but-they-never-really-stopped/">now happens</a> without exploding them. But those decades of testing in the 20th century have left behind a pollution time marker in our environment. </p>
<p>Explosive testing scattered traces of radiation across the entire planet. Plutonium, in particular, makes an excellent marker of 20th century human impact. While it does <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-transuranic-elements-s">occur naturally</a>, it’s only at incredibly low levels. The amount of plutonium spread by testing has left a clear spike, like a fingerprint, in the environment. Even now, we can identify samples from the 1950s and 1960s by <a href="https://www.anthropocene-curriculum.org/contribution/radioactive-fallout-as-a-marker-for-the-anthropocene">the presence</a> of plutonium and other radionuclides. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-canadian-lake-holds-the-key-to-the-beginning-of-the-anthropocene-a-new-geological-epoch-209576">A Canadian lake holds the key to the beginning of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>5. Fossil fuels and climate change</h2>
<p>We’ve been digging up and burning fossil fuels for a long time. People were using coal for heat thousands of years ago. But we really got going during what’s been dubbed the <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674545038">Great Acceleration</a> in the mid-20th century, as many countries got richer, populations exploded, and demand for cars, planes and electricity soared. Burning these fuels leaves behind large volumes of fly ash and carbon particles, which fall to Earth, are laid down in rock in some areas. The carbon (CO2) pollution from burning the fuels will also eventually be recorded in rock. Future civilisations would be able to detect our presence because of the remarkably fast spike in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. </p>
<h2>Markers upon markers</h2>
<p>There are many more markers, from sudden shifts in distribution of animal species, soil erosion and pollution, to refined metals, to looming mass extinctions of species. </p>
<p>Even so, the Anthropocene has not yet been declared. And it may never be. That’s because there are still many questions to sort out. Will these markers be recognisable long term? And – as some geologists argue – can we even say this is a distinct epoch, given it’s only just begun in geological terms? </p>
<p>All of this will be hashed out in discussions through this year. By the end of next year, we’ll learn the scientific fate of the Anthropocene. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/did-the-anthropocene-start-in-1950-or-much-earlier-heres-why-debate-over-our-world-changing-impact-matters-209869">Did the Anthropocene start in 1950 – or much earlier? Here's why debate over our world-changing impact matters</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209788/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duncan Cook receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>We’re having a big impact on the planet. But what marks will we leave behind in deep time?Duncan Cook, Associate Professor in Geography, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2066572023-07-24T20:50:36Z2023-07-24T20:50:36ZCanada’s federal single-use plastics ban: What they got right and what they didn’t<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canadas-federal-single-use-plastics-ban-what-they-got-right-and-what-they-didnt" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>There is little dispute these days over the need to regulate single-use plastics. But there is ample confusion around what plastics to address and how to do so.</p>
<p>In 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the intention to reach <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/canada-action.html">zero plastic waste in Canada by 2030</a>, spurred on by a ban on some plastic items in 2022. </p>
<p>As the UN <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/nations-agree-end-plastic-pollution#:%7E:text=175%20nations%20agree%20to%20develop,plastic%20production%2C%20use%20and%20disposal">continues to develop its own global regulations</a>, Canadian businesses and consumers are starting to feel the impacts of our single-use plastics ban, and some industries are finding it more challenging than others to adapt. </p>
<h2>Designing a plastics ban</h2>
<p>In order to determine what items to include in the first phase of the ban, the federal government performed a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/evaluating-existing-substances/science-assessment-plastic-pollution.html">scientific assessment of plastic consumption</a>. Based on this study, the ban targeted six items determined to be of highest concern: plastic ring carriers, plastic straws, plastic stir sticks, plastic bags, plastic cutlery and plastic food wares. </p>
<p>The government also laudably <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/single-use-plastic-overview.html">categorized plastics as a toxic substance</a>.</p>
<p>However, the question remains: is Canada’s single-use plastics ban actually going to make a big difference? </p>
<p>Among the targeted plastics include common food service items such as takeout containers and plastic cutlery, items which <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2021/06/18/these-four-plastic-items-make-up-almost-half-of-all-ocean-trash/?sh=45080bb5fea4">are among the most commonly found in the environment</a>. This waste alongside the <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/10214/26944">usefulness of plastics for restaurants</a> would seemingly make the food service industry an essential place to start when addressing plastics waste.</p>
<h2>Focus on circularity and reusable alternatives rather than single-use items</h2>
<p>When looking for alternatives to single-use plastics as a restaurant operator, there are a plethora of single-use paper, bamboo, compostable, biodegradable, wood pulp or bio-based plastic options. </p>
<p>However, despite the advantage that many of these alternatives can break down over time, not enough emphasis is put on the remaining essential <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/biodegradableplastics-may-end-up-doing-more-harm-than-good/2023/01/30/46e356b6-a0e3-11ed-8b47-9863fda8e494_story.html">single-use nature</a> of these items. </p>
<p>Indeed, the ability for compostable and biodegradable food wares to be accepted in a municipal composting facility is entirely dependent on the waste management cycle of that municipality, which can differ greatly between neighbouring cities. </p>
<p>Additionally, given the lack of standardization on what <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/blogs/sustainability-works/posts/is-biodegradable-and-compostable-plastic-good-for-the-environment-not-necessarily">is classified as biodegradable</a>, consumers can often be deceived by mislabelled products. </p>
<p>After all, microplastics are biodegraded plastics.</p>
<p>Offering alternative materials to food service operators is certainly a step in the right direction. However, as an effective long-term solution, the government needs to offer support for the integration and growth of <a href="https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyO9g_vHbIgcOIC-zk9EkESNDSQWReS0OTFkn3nOFiOia0paS5GuKvIhoCCOkQAvD_BwE">circular systems</a>. </p>
<p>In doing so, we also need to acknowledge the challenges involved in implementing these systems for restaurant operators. </p>
<h2>Challenges and solutions for food service operators</h2>
<p>The greatest <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/10214/26944">challenges operators are facing</a> with this ban are the costs of quickly switching to reusable or compostable items, sourcing issues and the general lack of alternatives that tick all the same material boxes as conventional plastics. </p>
<p>Looking at the way restaurant operators are responding to this challenge, there are a few key solutions we need to be focusing on. </p>
<p>First and foremost is an emphasis on reusables over alternatives. To make a zero-plastic waste transition realistic, we need to focus on supporting the infrastructure and consumer education required to make reusables accessible. </p>
<p>Ample progress has been made in this area since takeout food has <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/new-normal-the-year-in-takeout-trends-as-restaurants-face-a-reckoning-1.5231981?cache=yes">become more common</a> and has resulted in the launch of multiple reusable takeout container startups such as Suppli, Friendlier, or ShareWares. </p>
<p>Additionally, as with any change that affects our daily lives, our own habits are simultaneously the easiest place to start and the hardest to change. As such, a large piece of this transition will be <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHTI-01-2023-0052/full/html">consumer education</a> so that restaurant goers and grocery shoppers understand the ‘why’ behind this plastics transition. </p>
<p>All levels of government can better support restaurants through this transition by providing guidance, funding and advocacy for scaling reusable startups and for integrating them into food service with different communities likely requiring different levels of support.</p>
<p>Some companies have been experimenting with <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/tim-hortons-returnable-cups-experiment">their own reusable schemes</a>, however, relying on corporate drive alone will not be sufficient.</p>
<h2>Seeing the plastics ban as an opportunity</h2>
<p>In light of the development of this ban and the deliberations over the United Nations’ plastic regulation treaty, it’s clear that legislation surrounding single-use plastic reduction will likely increase over the next decade. </p>
<p>Restaurant operators, and other industries that regularly handle single-use plastics need to be more proactive about what they will need from their government to become less reliant on plastics in the future. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-barbie-world-after-the-movie-frenzy-fades-how-do-we-avoid-tonnes-of-barbie-dolls-going-to-landfill-209601">In a Barbie world ... after the movie frenzy fades, how do we avoid tonnes of Barbie dolls going to landfill?</a>
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<p>Moreover, the six items included on Canada’s list of banned plastics are by no means comprehensive and <a href="https://davidsuzuki.org/story/canadas-plastics-ban-should-include-beverage-containers/">activists continue to call</a> for additional items to be included. In particular, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/what-is-and-is-not-included-in-canada-s-ban-on-single-use-plastics-1.5136387">nine additional</a> common single-use plastics were found in the environment but are not being practically addressed. </p>
<p>Canada has the opportunity to be a global leader with the implementation of this single-use plastics ban by supporting reuse and moving towards circular practices. </p>
<p>If we can get further support for reusable programs, expand the list of harmful plastics and provide targeted consumer education around the harms of plastic waste then we have a real shot at an exemplary start to a circular economy. </p>
<p>Are we up to the challenge?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Canada is seen as leading the way in banning single-use plastics. But how comprehensive are these actions, and how realistic is the dream of a zero-waste future?Bruce McAdams, Associate Professor in Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, University of GuelphEmily Robinson, Post-Graduate Researcher and Food Education Manager, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2095372023-07-17T16:05:24Z2023-07-17T16:05:24ZThe UK’s water pipe upgrade has made it harder to detect leaks – now the race is on to discover new ways to find them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537746/original/file-20230717-81876-y2g95d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C16%2C3723%2C2575&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Enough water is lost in the UK each day to fill around 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/merseyside-uk-august-8-2019-road-1474410518">AlanMorris/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK is losing a staggering <a href="http://www.discoverwater.co.uk/leaking-pipes">3 billion litres of water</a> each day through leaky pipes. The issue is not limited to the UK alone. Globally, almost <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/what-non-revenue-water-how-can-we-reduce-it-better-water-service">90 billion litres of water</a> are lost daily, accounting for up to half of all the water pumped around the world. </p>
<p>The environmental impact of this water loss is substantial. The process of treating and pumping water consumes between <a href="https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACT993.pdf">2% and 3%</a> of the world’s total energy usage, so the energy that is wasted due to water loss corresponds to around 1% of the global carbon footprint.</p>
<p>But why does so much water leak from pipes? </p>
<p>The UK’s water network consists of a vast system of buried pipes, spanning <a href="http://www.discoverwater.co.uk/leaking-pipes">over 300,000km</a>. Many of these pipes were laid down by the Victorians – and some over 200 years ago – and they are now deteriorating. These pipes are also often situated in hard-to-reach and crowded areas deep underground, making maintenance, repairs and leak detection very challenging.</p>
<p>In recent decades, water companies have <a href="https://www.bpfpipesgroup.com/about/history/">introduced plastic pipes</a> with the expectation of reducing the number of leaks. Around <a href="https://ukwir.org/pipe-dream#:%7E:text=That%20information%20is%20crucial%20as,new%20water%20mains%20being%20laid.">one-third of the network</a> is now made up of plastic pipes. However, these pipes are prone to leaks too, particularly at the joints.</p>
<p>One of the challenges facing the UK water industry is that detecting leaks in plastic pipes has proven to be more difficult than anticipated. Over the past 25 years, I have worked closely with the UK water industry to understand where we have been going wrong. It turns out that the traditional way of looking for leaks on metal pipes – by listening for them – doesn’t work well for plastic pipes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Thames Water sign reading: We're fixing pipes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537749/original/file-20230717-228467-mg2hol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Water is brought to UK homes through hundreds of thousands of kilometres of underground pipes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-0204-notice-on-street-2261889193">Yau Ming Low/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Listening for leaks</h2>
<p>Water leaks produce an audible sound. In the case of metal pipes, these sounds can travel many hundreds of metres – sometimes even kilometres – along the pipe. </p>
<p>We use instruments called hydrophones to pick up these acoustic signals. Hydrophones are essentially underwater microphones that we place at accessible points along the pipe network, such as fire hydrants. By analysing the time it takes for the leak noise to reach different hydrophone locations, it is possible to estimate the whereabouts of the leak.</p>
<p>This method of leak detection has been widely used in the water industry for many decades and has proven to be very effective – that is, until the widespread introduction of plastic pipes.</p>
<p>When the same method for leak detection was first used on plastic pipes, it simply didn’t work. We have since spent years <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022460X03013270">studying how sound travels</a> in plastic water pipes, and we now know that something quite different happens compared to their metal counterparts.</p>
<p>The reason that sound travels such a long way in metal pipes is that the acoustic energy largely stays within the water. However, in plastic pipes, a lot of the energy transfers to the pipe wall where it either dissipates as heat or radiates into the surrounding ground. As a result, there is less acoustic energy available to travel along the pipe. </p>
<p>To put it simply, the leak noise doesn’t travel as far in plastic pipes, so the sound often does not reach the hydrophones placed along the pipe network.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Roadworks with a digger at the side of a large hole with many water, gas and electricity pipes on display." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537752/original/file-20230717-233077-ddtaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Around one-third of the UK’s water pipe network is now made up of plastic pipes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/roadworks-digger-side-large-hole-many-1667179435">Travers Lewis/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Plugging the leaks</h2>
<p>Researchers are currently exploring different ways to exploit the fact that much of the noise energy from leaks in plastic pipes radiates into the ground.</p>
<p>One way would be to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926985111001376">measure the vibrations</a> on the surface of the ground and use these measurements to determine the location of the leak. By deploying an array of sensors in the vicinity of the pipe, we can figure out the direction from which the noise of the leak is coming. Repeated measurements taken at different locations would then allow us to gradually narrow down the position of the leak. </p>
<p>This approach is likely to work well in rural areas where the underground space is less crowded and background noise is minimal. However, it may not be as practical in bustling underground urban environments.</p>
<p>Another solution is to use technology that already surrounds us, such as <a href="https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/winners/leak-detection-using-dark-fibre/">fibre optic telecommunications cables</a>. These cables are typically laid along pipeline routes and are extensively found in urban areas. They are also sensitive to both temperature and vibration, so could potentially be used as distributed acoustic and temperature sensors. </p>
<p>It’s essential that new ways of finding water leaks more effectively are found – if not only to save money on bills, then for the sake of the world’s climate, which is fast running out of time.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jen Muggleton receives funding from the EPSRC and UK Water Industry Research. </span></em></p>Why the UK still loses 3 billion litres of water a day through leaks.Jen Muggleton, Principal Research Fellow in Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2094872023-07-12T20:04:25Z2023-07-12T20:04:25Z‘Humanity’s signature’: study finds plastic pollution in the world’s lakes can be worse than in oceans<p>A world-first study has found concentrations of plastics in some lakes are higher than in the most contaminated parts of oceans, demonstrating the extent to which plastics have invaded Earth’s ecosystems.</p>
<p>In a study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06168-4">released today</a>, researchers sampled 38 lakes and reservoirs around the world, including in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Plastics and microplastics were found at every site, including very remote locations.</p>
<p>Lakes are sentinels for human activity. Many lakes are already suffering from issues such as algal blooms, deoxygenation, over-extraction and drying. Plastic contamination adds yet another threat to these highly stressed ecosystems.</p>
<h2>The plastics problem</h2>
<p>After plastics enter the environment, they generally break up and become smaller and smaller. Eventually they become microplastics – defined as particles less than 5 mm in size. </p>
<p>Plastic takes decades to disappear. It can <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html">harm</a> ocean and aquatic life and contaminate water used by humans. </p>
<p>Plastics can be washed into lakes from the adjacent land areas. Lake water can sit for a long time without being flushed out, allowing plastics to accumulate.
We don’t yet know much about whether microplastics are absorbed by filter feeding organisms such as clams, mussels and zooplankton, and how plastics affect the food chain.</p>
<p>Plastic debris is widespread in freshwater ecosystems. But much of the focus has been on marine ecosystems, and knowledge of the scope of the problem in lakes and reservoirs has been hampered by a lack of appropriate data. Our research set out to close this gap.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/plastic-pollution-threatens-birds-far-out-at-sea-new-research-209081">Plastic pollution threatens birds far out at sea – new research</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>What we did</h2>
<p>A global team of scientists, of which we were part, examined the abundance and type of plastic debris in freshwater ecosystems. Surface waters were sampled in 38 lakes and reservoirs across 23 countries (mostly in the Northern Hemisphere) and six continents.</p>
<p>Importantly, we used a standardised collection and analysis method, including very fine plankton nets to sample the plastic debris. These steps allowed for comparisons between lakes. </p>
<p>Broadly, we found plastic debris in all lakes studied. Most plastics were in the microplastic size range. However, concentrations varied widely. </p>
<p>Some 21 lakes had low concentrations – below one particle per cubic metre (m³). Of the remainder, 14 lakes had concentrations between one and five particles per m³ and three lakes had concentrations higher than five particles per m³.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Lake,_Queensland">Forest Lake</a> in Brisbane was the Australian study site. It’s a popular urban lake used by many people for recreation. This lake had three plastics particles per cubic metre, ranking it sixth worst among the 38 lakes sampled. </p>
<p>The three most polluted lakes were, in order, Lake Lugano (Switzerland, Italy), Lake Maggiore (Italy) and Lake Tahoe (US). </p>
<p>In each of these lakes, plastic concentrations reached or exceeded those in “floating garbage patches” – marine areas collecting large amounts of debris, such as the <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/">Great Pacific Garbage Patch</a>. These ocean areas were previously thought to be the worst cases of plastic pollution in water environments. </p>
<p>These three polluted lakes – as well as the heavily contaminated Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland – are also important sources of drinking water for local communities.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whales-and-dolphins-found-in-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-for-the-first-time-122538">Whales and dolphins found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first time</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="hands sorting plastic debris" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536750/original/file-20230711-17-y5zzsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A crew sorting plastic debris collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Ocean Cleanup</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where is the plastic coming from?</h2>
<p>The second part of our study sought to identify the landscape factors affecting the abundance and type of plastic debris.</p>
<p>More than 90% of the plastic particles belonged to two shape categories: fibres and fragments. We even found textile fibres in lakes and reservoirs in remote areas with limited human presence, such as Avery Lake in the US state of Michigan.</p>
<p>Our analysis indicated two types of lake are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: those in highly urbanised and populated areas, and those with a large surface area.</p>
<p>The most common colour of plastic particle was black (30%), followed by transparent (24%), blue (18%) and white (13%). The low concentrations of particles in bright colours, such as red, suggests these more visible plastics may have been mistaken by aquatic organisms for food, and ingested.</p>
<h2>So what next?</h2>
<p>Marine environments are generally considered the final resting place for plastic debris. But our research confirms plastic concentrations in freshwater ecosystems can be higher than those in oceans. </p>
<p>Our results indicate that lakes play a major role in the global plastic cycle. This points to an urgent need to develop management policies to reduce plastic pollution in freshwater lakes. This, in turn, will help prevent plastics from entering waterways and ending up in marine systems.</p>
<p>We don’t know how much plastic debris ends up in water supplies. We suggest this gap be addressed as soon as possible, and the ecological harm caused by microplastics should become a global management and research priority.</p>
<p>Our study also underscores the urgent need for coordinated, systematic monitoring of plastic pollution.</p>
<p>Sadly, it seems no lake can be considered truly “pristine” with respect to plastic pollution. Our research serves as yet another unfortunate reminder of humanity’s indelible signature on nature. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-no-idea-how-much-microplastic-is-in-australias-soil-but-it-could-be-a-lot-96858">We have no idea how much microplastic is in Australia's soil (but it could be a lot)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209487/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Hamilton receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deniz Özkundakci received funding from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He also holds the Toihuarewa Waimāori - Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair in Lake and Freshwater Science
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mohammadhassan Ranjbar receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Brookes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers even found textile fibres in very remote lakes with limited human presence.David Hamilton, Director, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith UniversityDeniz Özkundakci, Associate Professor of Lake and Freshwater Science, University of WaikatoJustin Brookes, Director, Water Research Centre, University of AdelaideMohammad Hassan Ranjbar, Research Fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2067942023-06-05T10:11:00Z2023-06-05T10:11:00ZThe UK’s recycling system is confusing, chaotic and broken – here’s how to fix it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529579/original/file-20230601-21-owb48k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C51%2C6861%2C4553&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/top-view-trash-bins-assorted-garbage-795715315">LightField Studios/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Maybe you have one bin or many boxes. You might even have a compost caddy. Whatever your <a href="https://theconversation.com/recycling-what-you-can-and-cant-recycle-and-why-its-so-confusing-206798">recycling</a> setup, chances are that at some point you’ve been left wondering what should go where and if a particular item is indeed recyclable or if it should just go in the main dustbin.</p>
<p>Research from Wrap, a climate action charity, has found that 82% of UK households regularly add at least one item to their recycling collection that’s not accepted locally. And data from recycling facilities shows that <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/resources/guide/tackling-contamination-dry-recycling#:%7E:text=Evidence%20generally%20points%20to%20contamination,material%20to%20MRFs%20was%20contamination.">over 16% of the recycling is contaminated</a>.</p>
<p>This can include electrical goods, nappies and food, though it more commonly involves packaging caked in remnants of what was – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/science/recycling-peanut-butter-jar.html">think jars</a> still covered in peanut butter or jam, toothpaste tubes, juice cartons, greasy takeaway packaging, damp cardboard and glittery birthday cards. Plastic pots, tubs, trays and bottle tops along with metal lids may also count as contaminants – depending on where you live.</p>
<p>And that’s a big part of the problem. Because what is and isn’t recyclable varies a lot from area to area. In the UK, there are 39 different bin collection regimes across <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105191">391 local authorities</a>. Rules aren’t aligned in terms of what is and isn’t collected for recycling or how items should be prepared: washed or rinsed, crushed or not, lids on or off. It’s different everywhere.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sustainablefutures.manchester.ac.uk/research/case-studies/one_bin_to_rule_them_all/">research</a> into the complexities of the UK’s <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zOS5IP77LOVhtK-uWXquY6aZNIag0Jmk/view">recycling system</a> found all these different rules and requirements have created a lot of confusion in terms of what should and shouldn’t be recycled. In some instances, this confusion can even result in people <a href="https://cardboard.org.uk/news/new-study-reveals-how-recycling-confusion-is-leading-to-rubbish-results/">just not bothering</a> to recycle at all.</p>
<h2>Breaking it down</h2>
<p>On top of each area operating its waste collection in a different way, lots of packaging now comes with confusing logos and messaging. Some of these suggest an item should be recycled (even when it can’t be locally) along with misleading stamps and statements, including “recycle”, “don’t recycle”, and “widely recycled” – which again, may not be the case in your specific area.</p>
<p>We’re also now confronted with lots of multi-material packaging – those envelopes with plastic windows and also cake boxes and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54108336">crisp tubes</a>. </p>
<p>While some might try and “unengineer” such items to try and separate the different material components, others make a judgement based on what something is mostly made of, meaning items can then end up in the wrong bins. If indeed you even have to separate your recyclables by type where you are. Told you it was confusing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Recycling bins filled with waste." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529581/original/file-20230601-25-xch54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What goes where? It depends on where you live.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/trash-recycle-reduce-ecology-environment-591166076">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Then there’s also the fact that many large retailers and organisations now provide collection points to recycle certain types of plastics, such as bread bags, crisp packets and pet food pouches, (which can’t usually go in household recycling bins). </p>
<p>Though in principle these schemes are good, they can lead to confusion, with people thinking that if these items are collected for recycling elsewhere, they can go in the recycling bin at home.</p>
<h2>Crackdown on confusion</h2>
<p>In response to the issue of contaminated recycling, the UK government has plans to crack down on “<a href="https://theconversation.com/recycling-what-you-can-and-cant-recycle-and-why-its-so-confusing-206798">wishcycling</a>” by asking people to be more careful about what they put in their bins. Wishcycling is when people optimistically stick items in the recycling bin hoping they can be collected when in reality they can’t.</p>
<p>This forms part of a wider review of England’s recycling collection based on a consultation which was launched in 2021 by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on how to improve the consistency of recycling in both homes and businesses.</p>
<p>Defra has said it wants to make recycling easier and more consistent so that all councils collect the same materials. This is to be welcomed, as our research has found that <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/waste-and-recycling-making-recycling-collections-consistent-in-england/outcome/consistency-in-recycling-collections-in-england-executive-summary-and-government-response">consistent collections</a> across all regions alongside <a href="https://recyclass.eu/recyclability/design-for-recycling-guidelines/">simplified packaging</a> that people can understand would make it easier for householders to know they are doing the right thing. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Recycling processing factory filled with plastic bottles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529583/original/file-20230601-16-jfnxc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">All those bottles have to go somewhere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-escalator-pile-plastic-bottles-factory-599435528">Alba_alioth/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also found that people want a simpler system as they want to recycle more. As part of our research, we heard from people who held back plastic milk bottle tops to donate to schemes that promised to recycle them as they were not collected by their local authority. Others were storing plastic fruit netting for fear of it not being appropriately dealt with and ending up causing environmental harm. </p>
<p>Some were driving bin bags full of plastics out of their local authority areas to other locations where family members and friends could feed them into their household recycling collections. All of this indicates that there is clearly a thirst to recycle, limit environmental harm and live more sustainably. </p>
<p>Tackling the confusion around what can and can’t be recycled is also needed because it’s adding to plastics’ bad reputation. Waste professionals we’ve worked with have told us that negative consumer perceptions and the move away from plastics aren’t always helpful because alternatives can carry larger environmental footprints. Though a contentious point, it’s recognised that <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/chemicals-plastics-technical-report">plastic substitutes are not always more sustainable</a>. </p>
<p>Sorting out our broken recycling system is an important step if we really want to be a greener and more environmentally conscious society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Torik Holmes receives funding from the UKRI-ISCF Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Fund (NE/V01045X/1). He works for The University of Manchester, within the Sustainable Consumption Institute. Adeyemi Adelekan, Maria Sharmina and Michael Shaver are also part of the 'One Bin to Rule Them All' research project team.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Holmes receives funding from the UKRI-ISCF Smart Sustainable Packaging Fund (NE/V01045X/1).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristoffer Kortsen receives funding from the UKRI-ISCF Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Fund (NE/V01045X/1).</span></em></p>The UK needs to fix its recycling system for a more sustainable future.Torik Holmes, Research Associate, Sustainable Consumption Institute and Sustainable Innovation Hub, University of ManchesterHelen Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of ManchesterKristoffer Kortsen, Post Doctoral Research Associate, Materials Engineering, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2067982023-05-31T16:38:45Z2023-05-31T16:38:45ZRecycling: what you can and can’t recycle and why it’s so confusing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529405/original/file-20230531-23-96zmy6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C9504%2C6317&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recycling can be a bit of a headache.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-beautiful-woman-holding-recycle-cardboard-1703996371">Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to recycling are you a <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/wishcycling-or-just-a-delusion-2373510">wishcycler</a>? No, I didn’t know what this term meant until recently either – apparently it’s when people try to recycle items that should be thrown away instead. And the government are trying to crack down on it.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/government-local-government-association-b2347953.html">New rules</a> will ask people to stop “over-recycling” and to be more careful about what they put in their recycling bins. This is to reduce the amount of dirty waste that goes to processing centres and landfills.</p>
<p>Many commonly recycled items either need specialist recycling treatment or are so contaminated that they cannot be processed properly. Think toothpaste tubes, takeaway packaging and juice cartons. So if you’re sticking these items in the recycling bin or box, you might want to rethink how you’re disposing of them. </p>
<p>Three years ago the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/wwf-paris-uk-government-antarctica-b2339705.html">UK government outlined its goal of recycling</a> – setting the target for 65% of all household waste to be recycled by 2035 – with no more than 10% of this waste ending up in landfill.</p>
<p>But a recent <a href="https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/recycle-week-80-of-uk-households-still-unclear-on-how-to-recycle-effectively/">survey shows</a> that 80% of UK households are “still unclear” on how to recycle effectively – does it need washing out, can I flatten items and what if the cardboard gets wet? (Wet cardboard is a no on the recycling front I’m afraid).</p>
<p>It’s no wonder that <a href="https://cardboard.org.uk/news/new-study-reveals-how-recycling-confusion-is-leading-to-rubbish-results/">many admit</a> it’s easier just to throw something in the bin instead of working out if it can be recycled.</p>
<h2>Waste not</h2>
<p>My team and I are <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zkenrqIAAAAJ&hl=en">researching</a> how new bio-based and biodegradable plastics can contribute to a more <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-circular-economy-29666">circular economy</a> (this is where items are reused and not <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-reduce-your-household-waste-and-stop-it-being-shipped-to-poorer-countries-154123">sent to landfill or shipped abroad</a>. While huge strides are being made in this area, we are still some way off all packaging being made in this way in a cost-effective manner. And so for now recycling is the next best option.</p>
<p>So then why the confusion about recycling? One of the main issues is there are <a href="https://rethinkwaste.org/2020/08/31/why-recycling-is-not-the-same-everywhere/">differences in how recycling waste is collected</a> across the UK – this can even be the case from one street to another. </p>
<p>For anyone confused by recycling rules, the advice is always “check with your local authority”. Households should have been sent a leaflet that explains what can be recycled and how. But if you’ve thrown yours away – or perhaps recycled it - the information should also be on your local authorities’ website.</p>
<p>Typically though, plastic containers such as bottles, food trays, margarine tubs and yoghurt pots are readily recycled. So too is aluminium foil, cans, glass bottles and jars. But again, if you want to optimise your council’s existing recycling infrastructure check your local collection guides.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Recycling boxes filled with recycling." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529410/original/file-20230531-24-xts2tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Knowing what should go where can be difficult – and is different from area to area.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/trash-recycle-reduce-ecology-environment-591166076">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the main reasons there are currently variations in what different authorities <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/wishcycling-government-to-tell-people-to-recycle-fewer-things-to-stop-contamination-by-non-recyclables-reports-12893539">do or don’t recycle</a> is based on what the waste management companies they use to recyclable waste after it’s collected. And this differs area to area.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/crisp-packets">Crisp packets</a>, for example, cannot typically be recycled via household collections (though in some places they can be). This is because they require complex processes to break them down because they are made of multiple layers of plastic and metallic. Instead, you’re advised to take them to your local supermarket as most chains now allow customers to recycle crisp packets and soft plastics at larger superstores.</p>
<h2>Recycling tips</h2>
<p>As with crisp packets and soft plastics, things such as pet food pouches can be recycled too but again not typically via your household collections – instead, these can often go to larger supermarkets for recycling.</p>
<p>Most <a href="https://takeawaypackaging.co.uk/can-you-recycle-or-reuse-plastic-takeaway-containers/#:%7E:text=Only%20curbside%20recycling%20programs%20will,not%20throw%20in%20general%20recycling.">greasy plastic takeaway packaging can be recycled</a>, too. But it’s a good idea to rinse them to avoid contamination during the recycling process (and to stop your bin smelling in between collections).</p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest problem is with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/08/can-i-recycle-a-pizza-box-we-ask-the-expert">greasy pizza boxes</a>. Due to the way that paper and cardboard are recycled, it’s much more difficult to remove contamination from food, so it’s often best to throw contaminated pizza boxes in the general waste bin. You could always cut off the lid of the pizza box and recycle that.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Inside a plastic recycling plant." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529412/original/file-20230531-27-4oneft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The recycling bin is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/wide-shot-businessman-worker-talking-on-1840555168">Juice Flair/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As to what you can’t recycle, one of the biggest issues that could easily be solved is the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/08/can-i-recycle-a-pizza-box-we-ask-the-expert">black plastic trays</a> that many manufacturers use purely as a marketing tool to enhance the visual attractiveness of their products such as steak or even broccoli. </p>
<p>While this tactic might help to sell more units, it, unfortunately, means that these recyclable plastic trays are far less likely to actually be recycled. This is because opaque trays cannot be sorted from other types of plastic in a recycling facility as light cannot pass through them. </p>
<p>Thankfully, we are seeing fewer and fewer <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/black-plastic-recycling-supermarkets-waste/">black plastic trays</a> in our supermarkets and some advances have been made meaning that some black plastics can now be recycled. Still unsure? Again, the recurring message is to “check with your local authority”. Or better yet, make a list of what can and can’t be recycled in your area and stick it somewhere you can easily see. </p>
<p>Although it definitely isn’t a case of the more the merrier when it comes to recycling, the better we are as a society at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/02/use-compostable-plastic-and-the-16-other-essential-rules-of-effective-recycling">dealing with our waste</a> and not just sending it to landfill, the better our air and environment will be for us and future generations.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206798/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Derry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Confusion about what should and shouldn’t be recycled? You’re not alone – and it’s causing some people to ignore recycling altogether.Matthew Derry, Lecturer in Chemistry, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2063382023-05-30T15:31:45Z2023-05-30T15:31:45ZPlastic recycling is failing – here’s how the world must respond<p>Recycling was once considered the obvious solution to the excessive amount of new (or virgin) plastic produced each year. This is no longer realistic. Global recycling capacity simply cannot keep up with the taking, making and wasting of natural resources.</p>
<p>Growing mountains of plastic waste are accumulating in the poorest countries as affluent nations such as the UK ship their recycling overseas. But some nations are importing <a href="https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-The-Truth-Behind-Trash-FINAL.pdf">far more plastic waste</a> than they can possibly recycle. </p>
<p>The recycling process itself also creates problems. A <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GreenpeaceUSA_ForeverToxic_ENG.pdf">new report</a> by Greenpeace and the International Pollutants Elimination Network has revealed how plastics which are made with or come into contact with toxic chemicals, such as flame retardants, can contaminate the recycling process by spreading these toxins through subsequent batches of plastic waste. Another recent study showed that recycling facilities can release <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772416623000803">hundreds of tonnes of microplastics</a> into the environment each year.</p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.1700782">6-9%</a> of all plastic ever produced has been sent for recycling. Although plastic and other waste is collected for recycling in most countries, the amount of material that is remade into the same or similar products (what is called closed-loop recycling) is extremely low. <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_IR_Future_of_Reusable_Consumption_2021.pdf">Only 2%</a> of plastic waste is recycled in a closed loop and not turned into something of lower quality, which is called downcycling. Recycling can not fully replace virgin material as it can only be <a href="https://doi.org/10.6027/TN2015-547">recycled twice</a> before losing necessary properties, and so most recycling results in a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.12355">downgraded material</a> that cannot be used for the same purpose.</p>
<p>A more sustainable approach would prioritise preventing plastic waste by taking action at earlier stages of a plastic product’s lifecycle: reducing how much plastic is ultimately made, reusing what exists and replacing plastic with alternative materials where appropriate.</p>
<h2>Reduce</h2>
<p>Manufacturers must stop making so much unnecessary plastic to reduce the amount entering the economy. There is no case for making plastics that are impossible to collect, reuse or recycle, or are <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">toxic</a>. Yet they are abundant: think multilayered sachets, thin films and wrappers. These should be phased out as a priority.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360244595_A_global_plastic_treaty_must_cap_production">Global caps</a> on plastic production could restrict its use to reusable products and packaging, reducing the pressure on recycling systems.</p>
<p>You can refuse single-use packaging when shopping if alternatives are available and affordable. Choose loose vegetables, or products wrapped in packaging that can be refilled.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person fills a glass container with cleaning fluid from a container on a shelf." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529075/original/file-20230530-29-7j14y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Retailers must make it easier for customers to refill containers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-woman-filling-container-cleaning-product-1549411349">Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reuse</h2>
<p>Using the plastic you already have for as long as possible reduces the amount of new products and packaging that need to be made and how much waste is ultimately sent for recycling. </p>
<p>Roughly 250 billion single-use coffee cups are used worldwide <a href="https://www.closedlooppartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CLP_Bringing-Reusable-Packaging-Systems-to-Life.pdf">every year</a> – a figure that could be slashed by governments setting national mandates for <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/addressing-single-use-plastic-products-pollution-using-life-cycle-approach">reusable cups and bottles</a>. This might <a href="https://www.systemiq.earth/breakingtheplasticwave/">involve</a> shops, cafés and other venues <a href="https://plasticspolicy.port.ac.uk/research/making-reuse-reality/">providing reusable packaging</a> for any products they sell and ensuring each one is used, tracked, washed, returned and replenished for the next consumer cycle.</p>
<h2>Substitute</h2>
<p>Metals, glass, or paper can be used instead of plastic, but there is no universal sustainable alternative. The most appropriate material depends on the item’s use. </p>
<p>The environmental consequences of any material should be rigorously assessed across its entire life cycle – from production to use and disposal – to ensure it does <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=4">more good than harm</a>. And such assessments must consider all social, environmental and economic costs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ranked-the-environmental-impact-of-five-different-soft-drink-containers-149642">Ranked: the environmental impact of five different soft drink containers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The true cost of making, distributing and disposing of plastic is estimated to be more than <a href="https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/wwfintl/tcops/index.php#/p/14">ten times greater</a> than what the customer pays for the product. Including the hidden costs of environmental damage and human misery arising from pollution in the price of virgin plastic, by taxing manufacturers or retailers for instance, could boost the economic case for alternatives.</p>
<h2>Recycling can still be useful</h2>
<p>Not all plastics can be reused, especially medical devices. When all alternatives have been exhausted, recycling keeps material in the economy and temporarily delays the need for more virgin plastic. But the existence of recycling shouldn’t justify making more plastic.</p>
<p>Recycling must not pollute. Manufacturers should only make plastics which can be recycled via methods proven to be safe and clean, and ban toxic additives. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267284">Simple labelling</a> can help consumers make informed decisions about how, where and what to either reuse or recycle, which would help prevent recycling loads becoming contaminated with non-recyclable waste and toxins.</p>
<p>Plastics sent for recycling should be treated in the most socially and environmentally responsible way. High-income countries which export waste to poorer countries for cheap recycling do so without guarantees that infrastructure exists to manage this waste where it ends up. The result is waste leaking into the environment, and toxic plastic blocking drainage channels and <a href="https://www.tearfund.org/stories/media/press-releases/plastic-pollution-increases-flooding-risk-for-more-than-200-million-of-worlds-poorest-people">causing floods</a>. Some of this is <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-crisis-up-to-a-billion-tonnes-of-waste-potentially-burned-in-the-open-every-year-152778">burned outdoors</a>, which comes with its own risks to health and the environment. <a href="https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-The-Truth-Behind-Trash-FINAL.pdf">Banning or restricting exports</a> would help.</p>
<p>Precarious workers in the informal waste sector collect, sort and sell recyclable materials and carry out <a href="https://apps1.unep.org/resolutions/uploads/global_alliance_of_waste_pickers.pdf">60%</a> of global recycling. Waste reclaimers endure poor health and low pay but their extensive knowledge is invaluable and must be acknowledged. Policies to protect their rights and <a href="https://www.tearfund.org/stories/2023/03/waste-pickers-the-hidden-heroes">improve their livelihoods</a> are needed.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/waste-pickers-risk-their-lives-to-stop-plastic-pollution-now-they-could-help-shape-global-recycling-policies-195311">Waste pickers risk their lives to stop plastic pollution – now they could help shape global recycling policies</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Countries meeting in Paris for the second of five rounds of negotiations for an <a href="https://www.unep.org/events/conference/second-session-intergovernmental-negotiating-committee-develop-international">international treaty</a> to end plastic pollution will discuss all areas of the plastic lifecycle - from the extraction of material to manufacturing, use and disposal. Banning unnecessary plastics, toxic additives and waste exports should be high on the agenda, along with schemes to encourage reuse and repair.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206338/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cressida Bowyer receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Flotilla Foundation</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keiron Roberts receives funding from UNEP, Innovate UK and Research England</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephanie Northen has received funding from the Flotilla Foundation. </span></em></p>Making less plastic and reusing what exists should be the priority.Cressida Bowyer, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Revolution Plastics, University of PortsmouthKeiron Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and the Built Environment, University of PortsmouthStephanie Northen, Research Associate, Revolution Plastics, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2060332023-05-24T22:05:47Z2023-05-24T22:05:47ZBiodegradable plastic in clothing doesn’t break down nearly as quickly as hoped – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527803/original/file-20230523-19-o9bcee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C652&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Discarded clothing is responsible for millions of tonnes of plastic waste each year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shirts-floating-deep-water-blue-1299694219">Yudhistira99/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Over <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">100 million tonnes</a> of plastic enters the environment each year, with more than <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1260352">10 million tonnes</a> ending up in our oceans. These plastics break down into harmful microplastic particles so small they can be consumed by wildlife.</p>
<p>We all recognise discarded bottles and bags as plastic waste. But the synthetic fibres that are woven into our clothing – polyester, nylon, acrylic and others – are equally problematic. Every year, more than <a href="https://textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Textile-Exchange_Preferred-Fiber-and-Materials-Market-Report_2021.pdf">60 million tonnes</a> of plastic fabric is produced, a considerable amount of which ultimately finds it way to landfill. </p>
<p>One promising approach to tackle this crisis is the use of “biodegradable” plastics. These plastics are designed to break down naturally into gases and water, which are then released back into the environment without causing long-lasting damage.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-biodegradable-plastic-is-not-biodegradable-116368">When biodegradable plastic is not biodegradable</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the reality of biodegradable plastic (or “bioplastic”) falls short of meeting our expectations. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0284681">New research</a>, led by the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a> in San Diego, California, has found that a popular bioplastic material called polylactic acid does not break down in the environment nearly as quickly as hoped.</p>
<p>The researchers suspended fibre samples from both bio- and oil-based plastic materials, as well as natural fibres such as cotton, in coastal waters and on the seafloor. Over time, they examined these individual fibres under a microscope to see if they were breaking down. While cotton fibres began to break down within a month, synthetic fibres, including bioplastic materials such as polylactic acid, showed no signs of breaking down even after 400 days submerged in the ocean.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A figure showing the disintegration time in days for five types of material exposed to coastal waters." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527970/original/file-20230524-22-wl6nxw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Disintegration time in days for five types of material exposed to coastal waters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Royer et al. (2023)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Finding their way into the sea</h2>
<p>The plastic pollution that stems from clothing is a particularly tricky area. Clothes are often not recycled or even recyclable, and they release tiny plastic fibres into the environment through gradual wear and tear. </p>
<p>Clothing fibres can reach our oceans via multiple pathways. Clothes that are washed into the sea, for example, will be broken up physically by wave action or friction with sand particles. This process leads to the release of fibres as the garment frays. </p>
<p>Even by just wearing our clothes, plastic fibres are <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b06892">discharged into the environment</a> – some of which may eventually settle in the ocean. And during the process of washing our clothes, fibres become dislodged and are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X16307639">carried down our drains</a>, also potentially ending up the sea. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hundreds-of-millions-of-microplastic-particles-could-be-flowing-into-uk-rivers-hidden-in-raw-sewage-177869">Hundreds of millions of microplastic particles could be flowing into UK rivers, hidden in raw sewage</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>No matter what we do, clothing fibres will inevitably find their way into the environment. So, it is sensible to give serious consideration to what happens to these fibres once released.</p>
<h2>Why does this matter?</h2>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006158/">Research</a> has found evidence that polylactic acid microfibres are potentially toxic to marine organisms, including jellyfish. The jellyfish studied changed their pulse frequency when exposed to high concentrations of these plastic fibres, potentially reducing their ability to hunt, avoid predators, and maintain orientation in the water. </p>
<p>The presence of polylactic acid fibres in the marine environment may cause jellyfish numbers and behaviour to change. Such changes could have far-reaching implications for marine ecosystems. Jellyfish are widely distributed across all oceans and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016953471830209X?casa_token=-HSFmAR5BdIAAAAA:liKw9NiK5jjgu0Le49ysJsxWzJ_5QBFLPDtLmfyFv-lT_86bUWoAcPJWQeTSTdXSCjv4p1DPGw">play a crucial role</a> in the marine food web, both as predators and prey. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A compass jellyfish drifting off the Welsh coast." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527964/original/file-20230524-26-jusz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A compass jellyfish drifting off the Welsh coast.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/compass-jellyfish-chrysaora-hysoscella-drifting-midwater-2135016713">JDScuba/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The longevity of polylactic acid fibres in the marine environment is another concern. The longer these fibres remain in the environment, the more likely it is they will be eaten by marine organisms. </p>
<p>Bioaccumulation, where microplastics and their associated chemicals accumulate across a marine food web, is then likely to occur. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0240792">Research</a> has found evidence of microplastic bioaccumulation across multiple species and microplastic types. </p>
<h2>Tackling plastic pollution</h2>
<p>No matter how the plastic enters the environment, solutions are needed to <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">tackle plastic pollution</a>. Biodegradable plastics are one potential option, but only if they are made from materials that are truly able to break down quickly in the natural environment. They would reduce the time in which plastic materials spend in the environment.</p>
<p>As with conventional plastics, though, bioplastics must still be disposed of correctly. But research has found that the labels and instructions on many biodegradable products are often confusing and misleading. In a <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2022.942724/full">study of 9,701 UK citizens</a>, many reported not having understood the meaning of the labels of degradable, compostable and biodegradable plastics. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person holding a biodegradable plastic bag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527960/original/file-20230524-15-pvzc2h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research shows many people misunderstand the meaning of the labels of degradable, compostable and biodegradable plastics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/plastic-strength-test-made-plant-based-2109593699">wisely/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This could lead to biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics being disposed of incorrectly. Plastic that is released into the environment may not decompose, and will instead break down into small pieces of microplastic. </p>
<p>Polylactic acid <a href="https://edepot.wur.nl/514397">can break down</a> in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.034">specialised industrial composting plants</a>. But even then, not all composting processes can handle every type of bioplastic. The plastic material has to meet specific <a href="https://www.en-standard.eu/bs-en-13432-2000-packaging.-requirements-for-packaging-recoverable-through-composting-and-biodegradation.-test-scheme-and-evaluation-criteria-for-the-final-acceptance-of-packaging/">criteria</a> and produce compost of a <a href="https://www.qualitycompost.org.uk/standards/pas100">minimum standard</a>. </p>
<p>As the world uses more biodegradable plastic, we need to make sure this material’s environmental footprint is minimised. With that in mind, improving labelling and disposal instructions and improving access to industrial composting could all help.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206033/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Keiron Roberts receives funding from UNEP and Innovate UK</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fay Couceiro receives funding from Southern Water, OFWAT and multiple charities involved with GB Row Challenge (<a href="https://www.gbrowchallenge.com/">https://www.gbrowchallenge.com/</a>). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Muhammad Ali receives funding from Innovate UK and the construction industry.</span></em></p>Polylactic acid – a popular bioplastic – does not readily break down when released into the ocean, and could disrupt marine ecosystemsKeiron Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and the Built Environment, University of PortsmouthFay Couceiro, Principal Research Fellow in Biogeochemistry and Environmental Pollution, University of PortsmouthMuhammad Ali, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2050622023-05-15T15:43:20Z2023-05-15T15:43:20ZReusable nappies can reduce the environmental footprint of parenting – but only if they’re used with care<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525867/original/file-20230512-7689-sqf4xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C0%2C6639%2C4476&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Disposable nappies are a major source of plastic pollution.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mother-changing-her-babys-diaper-on-1719589099">New Africa/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around the world, another <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth#how-has-world-population-growth-changed-over-time">45 babies are born</a> every ten seconds. Each of these babies will require nappies that need to be changed frequently. So it’s understandable that new parents want to do what’s best for their baby – and the planet – when it comes to the all-important nappy change. </p>
<p>With the advent of disposable nappies, the experience of wrestling children into rubbery triangles of cloth while attempting to pin everything in place has become a thing of the past. These single-use nappies are more absorbent and are designed for quick and easy changing. </p>
<p>Disposable nappies have transformed the lives of busy parents. But this popular option has its drawbacks. Disposable nappies are difficult to recycle. Many end up being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/20/disposable-nappies-plastic-waste-diapers">dumped in the environment</a> or sent to landfill. <a href="https://bbia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/A-Circular-Economy-for-Nappies-final-oct-2020.pdf">One study</a> found that more than 300,000 disposable nappies are incinerated, sent to landfill or end up in the environment every minute. </p>
<p>These nappies also contain several different plastics which <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-diaper-evacuation-brigade-clean-up-rivers-1941671">take years to break down</a>, and when they do they release harmful microplastics. The waste – and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346641495_Disposable_Diapers_Impact_of_Disposal_Methods_on_Public_Health_and_the_Environment">chemicals</a> – inside the nappy itself can also end up leaching out into the environment and contaminating soil and water sources. </p>
<p>However, there are potentially more sustainable alternatives. One is biodegradable nappies. But even these nappies have been <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/why-biodegradable-nappies-might-not-be-as-eco-friendly-as-you-think-aK1SK3T9QWBm#:%7E:text=There%20isn%27t%20currently%20a%20UK%20standard%20that%20nappy,open%20air%2C%20not%20those%20disposed%20of%20in%20landfill.">met with criticism</a> – all biodegradable nappies contain some plastic materials (like sticky tabs made from polyurethane) so will take many years to break down.</p>
<p>Increasing uptake of reusable nappies is another option. It would certainly generate less plastic waste, but whether reusable nappies are truly a better environmental choice is unclear.</p>
<h2>Environmental footprint of nappies</h2>
<p>In 2008, the Environment Agency carried out a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291130/scho0808boir-e-e.pdf">study</a> comparing the lifecycle environmental footprint of different nappy options in the UK. This study found little difference between the environmental impact of disposable and reusable nappies. </p>
<p>This study has been recently updated. The <a href="https://randd.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20622">new report</a> analysed the carbon footprint of reusable and disposable nappies in greater detail and considered how things have changed 15 years on. </p>
<p>Both options are now more sustainable. We have <a href="https://gridwatch.co.uk/">more renewable energy</a> in our energy mix, so the production, packaging and transportation of nappies is now more efficient. Disposable nappies are also <a href="https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/81715879/Eco_efficiency_of_diapers.pdf">lighter and more compact</a> than they were before, so require less packaging and energy to transport.</p>
<p>The environmental impact of both reusable and disposable nappies is, however, still relatively large. The carbon footprint of using disposable nappies for one child up to the age of two and a half is now the equivalent of 457 kg of CO₂ (although this is 27% less than in 2008). Reusable nappies (which this time considered more reusable nappy options than the original study) had 25% less global heating potential – but their carbon footprint was still the equivalent of 345 kg of CO₂. </p>
<p>Disposables performed worse on six environmental impact categories. This was mostly down to how the nappy was produced and disposed of. </p>
<p>Due to the use of plastics, disposable nappies were associated with 40% more fossil fuel use than reusables. The environmental impact of single-use nappies was also much higher when it came to disposal. These nappies had a 26% higher impact on freshwater eutrophication (where water is overloaded with nutrients). </p>
<p>So, does this mean that new parents should rush out and buy reusable nappies? Maybe, but with a note of caution. Reusable nappies were outperformed by disposables on 11 of the 18 environmental factors considered. </p>
<p>This was associated mainly with the electricity and detergent used to wash and dry them. The latter caused 333% more marine pollution than the use of disposable nappies.</p>
<h2>Reducing your footprint</h2>
<p>The good news is that this impact is something that we can control. Parents can lower their impact by washing nappies at lower temperature settings or in more efficient machines, avoiding the tumble drier and extending their use by passing them on to other children. </p>
<p>Another option is washing nappies together in full washing loads. But this would require having sufficient nappies available to allow storage of used nappies while also having a clean and dry supply for your baby. </p>
<p>One way of making sure the laundry is done efficiently is to sign up to a <a href="https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a560107/using-a-nappy-laundry-service">local nappy laundry service</a> if there is one nearby. These companies collect your dirty nappies and give you freshly-laundered ones in return. </p>
<p>Whichever type of nappy we use, a final thing we could do is to toilet train our children earlier. The updated study revealed that, since 2008, parents have shifted to potty training their children at a later stage in their development. Around 37% of children aged two and a half, for example, are still wearing disposable nappies, while 35% were still in reusable nappies – 19.4% and 17.4% more than in 2008 respectively. This means that we are producing, using and transporting more nappies, and using more water and energy to wash them.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Clothes line full of reusable baby diapers in front of a clear blue sky." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525872/original/file-20230512-17-ao5g7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents can reduce their impact by air drying reusable nappies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/clothes-line-full-reusable-baby-diapers-12791776">Robin Phinizy/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reusable nappies can help to lower our carbon footprint. But only if we wash at lower temperatures, with efficient equipment and avoid tumble drying. In the UK, especially in winter, this last point could be an issue, so having a mixed approach would be a suitable compromise. </p>
<p>Parents could continue to choose disposable nappies when line drying is difficult. There are also several steps we can take to lessen the environmental impact of disposable nappies are their use. Not dumping them in the environment is a good start – but making sure they go to a waste-to-energy incinerator, or even better, there are now <a href="https://diaperrecyclingeurope.eu/en/recycling-process/">ways to recycle</a> them and turn them into something new.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205062/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon George receives funding from Research England for energy-related research.</span></em></p>How to be more a more eco-friendly parent – it’s not as simple as ditching disposable nappies.Sharon George, Research Chair, Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Management, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1994222023-05-04T09:05:07Z2023-05-04T09:05:07ZKenya banned plastic bags 6 years ago, but they are still in use - what went wrong<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523028/original/file-20230426-742-rf88zm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A shopper risks arrest in Nakuru, Kenya, for carrying groceries in banned plastic bags in 2022.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Kenya <a href="https://www.nema.go.ke/images/Docs/Awarness%20Materials/Gazette_legal_Notice_on_carrier_bags.pdf">banned the use of plastic carrier bags</a> in 2017, prompted by environmental and health costs. At the time, more than <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/kenya-announces-breakthrough-ban-plastic-bags">100 million</a> single-use plastic bags were handed out every year, making them the most commonly used carrier bags for shopping. Most traders and end users have complied with the ban, but the bags have <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/52132/kenyas-fifth-plastic-ban-anniversary-effective-implementation-is-required/">never been completely eliminated</a>. Jane Mutheu Mutune, who researches on environmental governance and management, reflects on the policy hits and misses – and the opportunities to do better.</em></p>
<h2>Why were plastic carrier bags banned and what are the penalties?</h2>
<p>Discarded plastic carrier bags were a visible problem across Kenya. This was not just a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/02/plastic-pollution-health-poverty">menace to the environment</a> – it also contributed to health issues for both inland and aquatic animals. Human health was affected, too. Plastic bags clogged water drains and proliferated mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, and the burning of plastic bags has been associated with the release of chemicals with carcinogenic effects. A <a href="http://www.nema.go.ke/images/Docs/Mediacentre/Publication/Plastic%20waste%20in%20livestock%20rumens%20publication.pdf">study sanctioned by the National Environment Management Agency</a> in 2018 found that 50% of livestock slaughtered in Nairobi’s abattoirs had ingested plastic bags.</p>
<p>The ban came with a <a href="https://nema.go.ke/images/Docs/Awarness%20Materials/Gazette_legal_Notice_on_carrier_bags.pdf">jail term of four years</a> or a fine of Sh4 million (US$29,300) for offenders. Initially, the ban was greeted with cynicism because the government had <a href="https://ke.boell.org/en/2022/11/24/long-war-against-plastic-carrier-bags">tried before</a> to ban plastic bags. A ban that targeted lightweight carrier bags with a thickness of less than 30 microns proved hard to regulate. The current ban covers all single-use plastic carrier bags. However, it <a href="http://www.nema.go.ke/images/Docs/Notices/Clarification_on_plastic_ban.pdf">exempts</a> materials used for industrial primary packaging, disposable bags for handling of biomedical and hazardous waste, and garbage bin liners.</p>
<p>The Kenya Association of Manufacturers <a href="https://ke.boell.org/en/2022/11/24/long-war-against-plastic-carrier-bags">had opposed</a> the ban on the grounds that it would wipe out <a href="https://ke.boell.org/en/2022/11/24/long-war-against-plastic-carrier-bags">60,000 jobs</a>. The association claimed at the time that the ban would force the closure of 176 manufacturers and deny the country revenue from plastic bag exports.</p>
<p>No proper structures of monitoring were put in place to track the environmental benefits of banning plastic carrier bags for an accurate before-and-after picture. This lack of scientific evidence makes it harder to monitor progress or demonstrate the benefits.</p>
<h2>What is the level of compliance?</h2>
<p>Plastic carrier bags never really completely disappeared from the start. The government’s own assessment two years after the ban placed <a href="https://nema.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=296&catid=2&Itemid=451">compliance at 80%</a>. This was <a href="https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2021-12-28-plastic-ban-95-fruitful--nema/">revised to 95%</a> two years later in 2021.</p>
<p>But traders could still access plastic bag carriers six years after the ban. Numerous infringements have been reported from <a href="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001465579/no-more-warnings-as-nema-cracks-on-plastic-bags">time</a> to <a href="https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/western/2022-09-25-nema-warns-traders-importing-plastic-bags-from-uganda/">time</a>. As recently as April 2023, the Nairobi county government <a href="https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-05-01-sakaja-declares-crackdown-on-plastic-paper-bags/">warned</a> about the continued use of banned bags by traders in the capital.</p>
<p>On this evidence, the use of banned bags in petty trade has persisted. My <a href="http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/154868/Geoffrey%20E.O_Revisiting%20Kenya%E2%80%99s%20Ban%20on%20Plastic.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">study</a> in 2019 found that small traders in Nairobi’s informal settlement of Kibera continued to use banned bags. These traders included food vendors, petty retailers and wholesalers. At the time, 30% of those interviewed in Kibera supported the ban. In the neighbouring rich suburb of Karen, support stood at 60%. </p>
<h2>What must Kenya do to make the policy a success?</h2>
<p>Getting rid of plastic carrier bags is just the tip of the iceberg. The ban was partial – affecting secondary packaging only – as manufacturers use plastic packaging for a wide range of consumer goods, such as bread and processed meats.</p>
<p>Plastic bottles used for carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, dilutable drinks and water are another problem. They were to be banned after the carrier bags, but that has not happened yet due to court cases attributed to inadequate stakeholder consultations. Instead such bottles were <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/kenya-bans-single-use-plastics-protected-areas#:%7E:text=Following%20a%20presidential%20directive%20on,or%20straws%20into%20protected%20areas.">prohibited</a> in national parks, forests and beaches in 2020.</p>
<p>As such, plastic pollution remains a challenge. Plastic waste management in Kenya is largely informal – it’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344920300070?via%3Dihub">collected by hand</a>, sorted and packed for sale to recyclers. Volumes could increase gradually after the 2019/20 budget <a href="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001329755/2019-budget-is-a-boost-to-manufacturing">provided incentives</a> for plastic recycling by exempting VAT and corporate tax cuts for new recycling plants.</p>
<p>To bolster these efforts, Kenya is also moving towards imposing <a href="https://kam.co.ke/kam/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/KPAP_Document-pages.pdf#page=61">extended producer responsibility</a> for the waste. This means manufacturers would be made to assume responsibility for the entire life cycle of the plastics they put into the market.</p>
<h2>What about bringing the public on board?</h2>
<p>Studies have shown that the more times a product can be used, <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/35109/ASUP.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y#page=7">the lower the environmental impact</a>. Therefore, it’s not enough for consumers to switch to reusable shopping bags. They must also commit to reusing them and avoid littering.</p>
<p>A 2021 <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348174980_A_study_on_consumer_consciousness_and_behavior_to_the_plastic_bag_ban_in_Kenya">Kenyan study</a> found that the ownership of reusable bags tripled to 12 bags per household on average since the ban. But consumers were disposing reusable bags too prematurely to achieve the optimal environmental benefits.</p>
<p>Going forward, the government should engage the public more. Change is in the mindset and once you change the mindset, compliance becomes easier. The messaging around the impact of plastic on the environment has to be clear, targeted and justified.</p>
<p>Just as important is environmental education, which is a pathway to attitude change and a sense of responsibility. Environmental education should be integrated in all levels of the education system to raise people’s sensitivity to sustainability concerns. This will create champions and agents of change for sustainable development.</p>
<p><em>Elmah Odhiambo contributed to the research on which this article is partly based.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nothing to disclose</span></em></p>No scientific monitoring was put in place to track the environmental benefits of banning plastic carrier bags.Jane Mutheu Mutune, Lecturer, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of NairobiLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.