By Christopher Thompson Production must end now, says first ever estimate of plastic’s cradle-to-grave impact The proliferation of single-use plastic around the world is accelerating climate change and should be urgently halted, a report warns. Plastic production is expanding worldwide, fuelled in part by the fracking boom in the US. The report says plastic contributes […]

By Ryan Johnson Hundreds of volcanoes exist in the United States. Most are considered dormant and haven’t erupted for more than 10,000 years. That doesn’t mean that they can’t or won’t. Dr. Gary Michelfelder, assistant professor in the department of geography, geology and planning at Missouri State University, says that though you may not know […]

By Christopher Thompson If you bring a tote bag to the grocery store, you’re not necessarily saving the planet. When you visit the supermarket, is it better for the planet to carry home your groceries in a paper, plastic or reusable tote bag? The answer is more complicated than you might think. Plastic bags are […]

By Christopher Thompson Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a next-generation plastic that can be recycled again and again, into new materials of any color, shape, or form. According to the EPA, as of 2015, Americans recycled less than 10 percent of the plastics they’ve used. This isn’t just down […]

By Christopher Thompson Soft-drink brand’s products make up nearly 12% of litter found, says Surfers Against Sewage Coca-Cola bottles and cans are the most commonly found items of packaging pollution on British beaches, making up nearly 12% of all litter, research by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS)has found. The results came from a series of 229 […]

By Christopher Thompson Report says plastics adding to death tolls in the developing world from easily prevented diseases Mismanaged waste is causing hundreds of thousands of people to die each year in the developing world from easily preventable causes, and plastic waste is adding a new and dangerous dimension to the problem, a report has […]

By Christopher Thompson After 12 days of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, countries have agreed to treat plastic as hazardous waste. Germany is considering a ban that would go even further. Almost every country in the world, except the United States, agreed to a deal on Friday that would sharply reduce the […]

By Ryan Johnson Despite our attempts to take responsibility for recycling, the true value of recyclable materials is not being realised. Cross-contamination of plastics and dirty packaging means that over half of the items going into the recycling bin aren’t recycled. Recyclable materials are very valuable in their pure state but the cost and difficulty […]

By Ryan Johnson The minister has proposed a ban in Germany similar to those in place in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Gerd Müller said that the issue was crucial to mankind’s survival. German Development Minister Gerd Müller has called for a ban on plastic bags in Germany, in part to reduce the exports of waste […]

By Ryan Johnson One of the challenges with plastics is that even those marketed as recyclables are not used again. Only less than a third of recyclable plastic is repurposed after the recycling process, and the rest are either disposed of as non-recyclable waste or incinerated. A new breakthrough, however, offers hope to this problem. […]