Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills
It feels good to recycle. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from dutifully sorting soda bottles, plastic bags and yogurt cups from the rest of the garbage. The more plastic you put in that blue bin, the more you’re keeping out of landfills and the oceans, right? Wrong. No matter how meticulous you […]
Mexico City ban on single-use plastics takes effect
A customer receives his order of fried plantains, served on a non-biodegradable disposable plate along with a plastic fork, from a street vendor in central Mexico City, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. The few street food vendors out working on New Year’s Day amid the COVID-19 pandemic said they were either unaware of or were still […]
Plastics and rising CO2 levels could pose combined threat to marine environment — ScienceDaily
The combined environmental threat of plastic pollution and ocean acidification are having significant impacts on species living in our oceans, according to new research. An international team of scientists found that after three weeks of being submerged in the ocean, the bacterial diversity on plastic bottles was twice as great as on samples collected from […]
Plastics and rising CO2 levels could pose combined threat to marine environment
The combined environmental threat of plastic pollution and ocean acidification are having significant impacts on species living in our oceans, according to new research. An international team of scientists found that after three weeks of being submerged in the ocean, the bacterial diversity on plastic bottles was twice as great as on samples collected from […]
Bioplastics contain substances that are as toxic as those in ordinary plastics
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Conventional plastic is made from oil. The production of plastic is not sustainable, and it can contain substances we know are dangerous if ingested. In recent years, bioplastics have come onto the market as an alternative to conventional plastic. Bioplastic has some apparent advantages: it is usually made from recycled material […]
A first-of-its-kind catalyst mimics natural processes to break down plastics — ScienceDaily
While plastics recycling is not new science, current processes don’t make it economically worthwhile — waste plastics get “down-cycled” into lower grade, less useful material. It’s a challenge that continues to be an obstacle in tackling a growing global pollution crisis in single use plastics. A multi-institutional team of scientists led by the U.S. Department […]
