This year's national conference of the Australian Marine Science Association is a plastic-free zone, as marine scientists aim to reduce the environmental burden of throwaway plastic.
Bottled water distribution in Glenwood, Iowa, where massive spring flooding along the Missouri River disrupted drinking water treatment, April 3, 2019.
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
New research shows that chemicals leached from ocean plastic impair the growth and oxygen production of the planet's most abundant photosynthesiser - endangering marine ecosystems and the climate.
Accumulated plastic debris on Direction Island.
Jennifer Lavers 2017
The entire Cocos (Keeling) Island group is a little more than twice the size of the Melbourne CBD. So it’s hard to envision 414 million debris items washed up there.
As well as polluting our seas, plastics are warming the planet too. Urgent changes are needed to eliminate plastic's contribution to climate breakdown.
Plastics pile up at Thilafushi, an artificial island created as a landfill, in the Maldives.
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Nurdles are a raw feedstock used to make most of the plastic products we use everyday, but they're flooding the ocean as "mermaid tears".
A study of drinking water sourced from groundwater in areas of intensive farming and horticulture found nitrate levels are already high and rising.
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Nitrate in drinking water has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. That could have implications for some parts of New Zealand where nitrate levels are high.
Christmas is hectic, and it can be easy just to go with the flow and vow to cut your plastic use in the new year. But here are some easy steps you can take now to make your Christmas plastic-free.
Your salt intake from water can vary depending on where you live.
Bryan Carlson/Unsplash
Of Australia's capital cities, Perth has the saltiest tap water, while Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra have the least salty. And while all are within guidelines, the variation is striking.
Drinking water in Australia can be contaminated by natural and manmade processes, especially in communities. Innovation is needed to ensure water is ‘fit for purpose, place and people’.
Many plastics that used BPA have now replaced it with substitutes like BPS, a related molecule that may have just as many health issues.
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BPA, used widely in plastics and as a liner in food cans, was replaced by a related chemical called BPS. But it seems that this substitute may also harm eggs and sperm and disrupt hormones.
Research indicates that up to a third of all food is wasted – but also shows that anti-waste campaigns frequently backfire.
Rick/Flickr
Research shows that campaigns that try to make consumers feel guilty about the amount they waste often make things worse, not better. A new study poins the way to more effective anti-waste campaigns.
The market for plastic recycling is drying up, prompting a discussion over what to do with household waste.
Steven Depolo
Incineration of household waste has gotten a bad name, argues an economist, who sees today's recycling crisis as an opportunity to reconsider how the U.S. handles its waste.
Millions of tons of plastic are manufactured every year.
Bert Kaufmann/Wikimedia
In 2015, over 320 million tons of polymers, excluding fibers, were manufactured across the globe.
Single-use biodegradable plastics include claims that they break down quickly into benign end products, but the reality is more complex.
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New types of biodegradable or compostable plastic products seem to offer an alternative to conventional plastics. But they may be no better for the environment.