EU Court Upholds Toxic Designation for Chemical BPA
A trade group for the plastics industry failed to persuade the European General Court on Thursday that the industrial chemical BPA should not be classified as toxic.
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Humans Are Drowning the World in Plastic
Now found in humans’ bloodstreams and deep in oceans, plastic’s proliferation is growing exponentially: Yearly global production is expected to exceed 1 billion tons by 2050. But there are glimmers of change within the deluge. A movement calling on mankind to wean itself off plastic bags turns 10 on Wednesday.
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Scientists on Madeira See New ‘Plasticrust’ Sea Pollution
Researchers say they may have identified a new kind of plastic pollution in the sea and they’re calling it “plasticrust.”
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Study: Lethal Plastic Trash Now Common in Greece’s Whales
A study of whales and dolphins that have washed up dead in Greece over a 20-year period has found alarmingly high levels of plastic trash — mostly bags — in the animals’ stomachs, which can condemn them to a slow and painful death.
Read moreHuman Consumption of Microplastics Pegged at 70K Pieces a Year
The average American consumes more than 70,000 pieces of microplastics per year, though the health effects of that consumption are unclear.
Read moreMalaysia to Send Back Plastic Waste to Foreign Nations
Malaysia will send back some 3,300 tons of non-recyclable plastic waste to countries such as the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia in a move to avoid becoming a dumping ground for rich nations, Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said Tuesday.
Read moreEU Council Bans Many Single-Use Plastics to Keep Beaches Clean
Turning the screws on marine pollution and environmental health hazards, the Council of the European Union signed off on a plan to ban many single-use plastic items and set limits on potentially harmful contaminants in fertilizer products.
Read moreParadise Buried: 414 Million Pieces of Plastic Litter Remote Australian Islands
A new study released Thursday reports that the beaches of Australian islands are littered with an alarming volume of plastic debris.
Read moreFlorida Lawmakers Move to Block City Straw Bans
As several Florida cities try to take the plastic drinking straws out of residents’ frozen cocktails, state lawmakers have other ideas.
Read moreRalph Lauren Unveils Shirt Made From Plastic Bottles
Earth, meet Polo. Polo Ralph Lauren on Thursday launched a version of its iconic polo shirt made entirely of recycled plastic bottles and dyed through a process that uses zero water.
Read moreNY Bans Plastic Bags, Adopts Congestion Pricing in 2020 Budget Vote
New Yorkers will soon see some big changes after the state Senate signed off this weekend on a ban on plastic shopping bags as well as congestion pricing when they passed the state’s 2020 budget.
Read moreWWF Sounds Alarm After 48 Lbs of Plastic Found in Dead Whale
The World Wildlife Foundation is sounding the alarm over plastics in the Mediterranean Sea after an over 26-foot sperm whale was found dead off Sardinia with 48.5 pounds of plastic in its belly.
Read more‘Upcyling’ Plastic Bottles Could Alleviate Global Trash Troubles
Scientists and researchers around the world strive to rid Earth’s oceans of the plague of plastic, with the latest effort from a team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory who found a process called ‘upcycling’ could help alleviate the problem.
Read moreStudy: Squid Protein a Viable Alternative to Plastic
Microplastics are found everywhere. The 5-millimeter pieces of plastic, roughly the size of a grain of rice or smaller, have shown up in the soil, in the air and through the entire range of creatures, including humans.
Read moreLouisiana OKs Permit for Plastics Plant in ‘Cancer Alley’
Spurring claims of environmental racism, Louisiana granted a permit allowing a Taiwanese single-use plastics manufacturer once named the worst environmental polluter in the world to build a new plant in a mostly black community known as “Cancer Alley.”
Read moreLawsuit Over Microplastics in Nestle Water Thrown Out
A lawsuit claiming food and beverage giant Nestle misled consumers about its water quality by allowing high levels of microplastics in its products was dismissed by a federal judge.
Read moreEuropean Officials Agree on Ban of Some Single-Use Plastics
The 28-nation EU bloc moved closer Wednesday to banning single-use straws, plates, cutlery and cotton buds after officials from member states and the European Parliament said they’re following recommendations by its executive branch designed to marine pollution.
Read moreEU Moves Step Closer to Ban on Many Single-Use Plastics
The European Parliament on Thursday voted to ban many single-use plastic items, targeting what the administrative arm of the EU says are the 10 products most likely to end up as litter in oceans.
Read moreTrump Commits US to Expanding Efforts to Clean Up Ocean Litter
President Donald Trump signed legislation Thursday committing the United States to expand efforts to clean up nearly 8 million metric tons of litter polluting the world’s oceans.
Read moreCalifornia First State to Restrict Plastic Straws in Restaurants
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday inked legislation aimed at breaking society’s “infatuation” with plastic straws.
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