By Christopher Thompson Port Fourchon, LA — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s rollback of certain provisions of a rule intended to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig disaster will maintain safety and environmental protections, the agency claims, as advocacy groups announce their intention to fight the move. BSEE […]

By Christopher Thompson Most likely, when you toss your plastic trash into a recycle bin you believe you’re doing the right thing. You think your plastic waste gets magically whisked away to a recycle center where it will be transformed back into more useful plastic items. Recycling feels like a harmless way to get rid […]

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 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 Christopher Thompson Plastic pollution poses serious health risks to wildlife globally, affecting a wide range of species including whales, turtles, fish and birds. On World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated on 11 May, two UN wildlife treaties and conservationists around the world are calling for urgent action to stop plastic pollution by highlighting its negative […]

By Christopher Thompson U.N. negotiations seek deal on trade in plastic waste * Norway proposal would require importer’s prior consent * U.S. is a leading major plastics exporter, but not in treaty By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, May 7 – Countries are nearing agreement to tighten controls on trade in plastic waste, which would make it […]

By Christopher Thompson Research finds even supposedly pristine region of the Pyrenees is polluted Microplastic is raining down on even remote mountaintops, a new study has revealed, with winds having the capacity to carry the pollution “anywhere and everywhere”. The scientists were astounded by the quantities of microplastic falling from the sky in a supposedly […]

By Ryan Johnson Consumers don’t have access to much information about how businesses operate, but they can ask questions and focus on one tangible item, the bottle. The exquisite vulnerability of grapes to nuances of weather makes wine both particularly susceptible to climate change and a harbinger of what’s to come for many other agricultural products. […]