Cheap plastic is flooding developing countries – we’re making new biodegradable materials to help

By combining plastic waste with durian wood sawdust, we may have found a way to slow the rise of plastic pollution in Indonesia.

Deirdre McKay, Reader in Geography and Environmental Politics, Keele University • conversation
Sept. 22, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: oil-industry plastic plastic-pollution composite-materials petrochemicals plastic-packaging lobbying

The ocean is swimming in plastic and it's getting worse – we need connected global policies now

What groups like the G20 can do to help fix the problem.

Keiron Philip Roberts, Research Fellow in Clean Carbon Technologies and Resource Management, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Sept. 17, 2020 • ~5 min
Tags: plastic plastic-pollution marine-plastic-litter g20

What happens to the plastic you recycle? Researchers lift the lid

We investigated plastic recycling in the UK and uncovered startling inconsistencies.

Diego Vazquez-Brust, Professor of Global Business Sustainability and Strategy, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Sept. 2, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: recycling plastic plastic-pollution waste-management plastic-waste plastic-packaging

Newly hatched Florida sea turtles are consuming dangerous quantities of floating plastic

A new study reports that baby Florida sea turtles are consuming large quantities of plastic waste during a critical early life stage at sea.

Catherine Eastman, Sea Turtle Hospital Program Coordinator, Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida • conversation
Aug. 31, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: plastic plastic-pollution animal-welfare endangered-species veterinary-medicine florida plastic-waste ocean-plastic plastic-bags sea-turtles sargasso-sea

Healthcare is still hooked on single-use plastic PPE, but there are more sustainable options

The UK alone may use 10 million disposable items each day, though more sustainable alternatives are available.

Chloe Way, PhD Researcher in Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton • conversation
Aug. 6, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: personal-protective-equipment plastic-pollution

Abandoned fibreglass boats are releasing toxins and microplastics across the world

Too many small yachts and speedboats are simply being abandoned to shed toxins and microplastics into the sea.

Corina Ciocan, Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology, University of Brighton • conversation
Aug. 4, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: plastic-pollution marine-biology ships microplastic boats

Plastic found lining UK seabird nests on a worrying scale

We found plastic waste in pellets seabirds regurgitated and lining the nests where they raise chicks.

Tom Ovenden, PhD Candidate - Forest Ecology, Resilience and Biodiversity Conservation, University of Stirling • conversation
July 28, 2020 • ~5 min

Tags:  conservation  nests  uk-wildlife  litter  plastic-pollution  marine-plastic-litter  seabirds  marine-life

How Earth's plastic pollution problem could look by 2040

Plastic flows to the world's waterbodies could double over the next two decades.

Ed Cook, Research Fellow in Circular Economy Systems, University of Leeds • conversation
July 24, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: plastic plastic-pollution marine-plastic-litter ocean-pollution microplastic

How your car sheds microplastics into the ocean thousands of miles away

New research reveals how roads channel microplastics from car tires and brake pads to remote ocean habitats.

Claire Gwinnett, Professor in Forensic and Environmental Science, Staffordshire University • conversation
July 14, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: cars microplastics plastic-pollution roads ocean-plastic

COVID-19 has resurrected single-use plastics – are they back to stay?

Pandemic precautions have given new life to disposable plastic products, which the industry claims are more 'hygienic' than reusables. But critics say there's no scientific evidence this is so.

Kate O'Neill, Professor, Global Environmental Politics, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
July 14, 2020 • ~9 min
Tags: covid-19 recycling personal-protective-equipment plastic-pollution waste plastic-waste municipal-solid-waste single-use-plastic

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