Come March of next year, all New Yorkers will be required to bring their own reusable containers to the grocery store after a bill banning single-use plastic bags was signed into law on Monday.
Wherever that plastic is ending up, we know that it's breaking down over time, disintegrating into micro particles less than 5mm in size, and some even breakdown to the nanoscale at less than one micrometer (size of bacteria).
Global plastic pollution and the damage it causes to marine ecosystems now has a price tag attached to it. UK and Norway researchers now came up with a staggering figure – $2.5 billion – as the annual cost to society.
Commencing on 1 March 2020, cities will have the choice to opt in to a five cents fee for a paper bag, two cents of which will go into local schemes that buy reusable bags for low-income consumers.
The ban would be implemented from 2021 and would affect a range of plastic products that have reasonable alternatives, such as plastic cutlery, foam takeout food containers, straws and drink stirrers.
It has been just over a year since China banned imports of foreign plastic waste, and now India has followed in its footsteps. Effective March 1, all imports of foreign solid plastic waste and scrap have been banned.
“Nurdles” may sound cute but they pose a huge risk to the marine environment. Also known as “mermaid tears”, these small plastic pellets are a feedstock in the plastic industry.
Taiwan aims to be completely free of plastic bags and all single-use plastic items, such as utensils and beverage cups, by 2030. Starting this year, chain restaurants will be restricted from giving straws to customers for in-store use.
The blaze endangers the health of local citizens, contaminates the environment, and highlights the country’s growing waste management crisis. South Korea has the highest per capita plastic consumption rate in the world.
We need to shift our focus to the drivers of waste and not allow them to blame us for not picking it up or sorting it properly. If packaging cannot be recycled or composted, it shouldn't be used.
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for an European Union-wide ban on single-use plastics, such as straws, plastic cutlery and cotton buds. The ban would come into effect from 2021.
The country’s second-largest city has launched the recycling incentive scheme, which allows customers to drop off plastic bottles and cups at terminals in exchange for bus tickets.
SodaStream announced the launch of a plastic-cleaning contraption dubbed the "Holy Turtle" into the ocean today. It is the first such cleanup initiative undertaken by a commercial company.
Tesco announced the launch of reverse vending machines which they will trial in a number of stores. These recycling stations will pay 10p for each plastic bottle returned.
Whereas plastic generally takes years to degrade, the mushroom, first discovered growing in a Pakistani dump in 2017, could make it possible to break down the pollutants in weeks.
