Why Most Plastic Ends Up As Trash In A Landfill : Short Wave : NPR
2 years ago

Why Most Plastic Ends Up As Trash In A Landfill : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

The Myth of Plastic Recycling Enlarge this image toggle caption Laura Sullivan/NPR Laura Sullivan/NPR For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. That's partially because of decades of public environmental campaigns, But the reality is that only a small fraction of plastic is ultimately recycled. A recent Greenpeace report found that people may be putting plastic into recycling bins — but the amount of plastic transformed into new items in the U.S. is at a new roughly 5-6% low. The plastic industry has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the benefits of plastic, a product that, for the most part, was buried, was burned or, in some cases, wound up in the ocean.

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History of this topic

How to tackle plastic pollution and reduce plastic waste
1 week ago

How to tackle plastic pollution and reduce plastic waste

India Today  

Plastic pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems our world is facing today. By making small efforts in our daily lives, everyone can contribute significantly to reducing plastic waste. SMALL ACTIONS TO TACKLE PLASTIC POLLUTION Reduce the use of straws, plastic cutlery, and bottled water. This small habit encourages responsible waste management and when consistently followed, this habit …

New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes
1 week, 4 days ago

New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey is aiming to drastically reduce the amount of packaging material — particularly plastic — that is thrown away after the package is opened. The New Jersey bill seeks to move away from plastics and imposes fees on manufacturers and distributors for a $120 million fund to bolster recycling and reduce solid waste. He called the …

Cheap plastic from China and the US is threatening sustainable plastic companies
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Cheap plastic from China and the US is threatening sustainable plastic companies

NL Times  

Cheap plastic from China and the United States is threatening Dutch companies that produce, process, and reuse plastic. Cheap plastic, especially from the United States and China, is currently flooding the Dutch and European markets. "We therefore want to recover much more plastic from waste than is currently available for reuse," the industry organizations stated. According to industry organizations, the …

A cut in time: On the plastic pollution problem
2 weeks, 4 days ago

A cut in time: On the plastic pollution problem

The Hindu  

Despite a week of wrangling, an ambitious endeavour piloted by the United Nations Environment Programme to phase out plastic turned out to be a failure. The Global Plastics Treaty is the result of a resolution by member-countries of the United Nations, passed in 2022, to ‘end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.’ Over the next two years, countries met …

Coca-Cola is dramatically scaling back its plastic promises
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Coca-Cola is dramatically scaling back its plastic promises

CNN  

New York CNN — Coca-Cola is scaling back its packaging sustainability goals, igniting outrage from environmental activists. The beverage company, which has long been criticized for being one of the world’s top producer of plastic pollutants, changed its “voluntary environmental goals” this week. “These challenges are complex and require us to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work …

UN Treaty to Curb Plastic Pollution Fails as Oil-Producing Nations Reject Production Caps
2 weeks, 6 days ago

UN Treaty to Curb Plastic Pollution Fails as Oil-Producing Nations Reject Production Caps

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 03, 2024 19:48 IST - 4 MINS READ Governments failed to reach an agreement on December 2 for a global UN treaty to curb plastic pollution in Busan, South Korea, after proposals to cap its production were rejected by a handful of oil-producing nations. More than 100 countries supported a proposal to reduce plastic production, the most …

What to know about the plastic pollution crisis as treaty talks conclude in South Korea
3 weeks, 2 days ago

What to know about the plastic pollution crisis as treaty talks conclude in South Korea

Associated Press  

BUSAN, South Korea — The world’s nations will wrap up negotiating a treaty this weekend to address the global plastic pollution crisis. Their meeting concludes Sunday or early Monday in Busan, South Korea, where many environmental organizations have also flocked to push for a treaty to address the volume of production and toxic chemicals used in plastic products. Greenpeace said …

Fears hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists could derail crucial plastic pollution summit
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Fears hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists could derail crucial plastic pollution summit

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Allowing fossil fuel and petrochemical companies to exert their influence in these negotiations is like letting foxes guard the …

Millions of tons of plastic foul the world around us
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Millions of tons of plastic foul the world around us

Associated Press  

On a Philippines beach, barefoot children jumped and played on shoals of plastic washed ashore in previous typhoons. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print People store various waste materials in plastic sacks for sorting out in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn …

‘Once in a lifetime’ chance to end plastic pollution as nations assemble in Busan
3 weeks, 5 days ago

‘Once in a lifetime’ chance to end plastic pollution as nations assemble in Busan

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Environment activists stage a rally calling for a strong global plastics treaty ahead of the …

Why is a global treaty on plastic pollution dividing the world?
Trending News
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Why is a global treaty on plastic pollution dividing the world?

LA Times  

Garbage, mostly plastic, collected en route to Mt. Even before the meeting began Monday, South Korean Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup was trying to dial back expectations, telling reporters: “I believe it may be more realistic to pursue stepwise measures.” Here is what you need to know about the problem and the efforts to solve it: How bad is the world’s …

Can the World Unite to End the Plastic Pollution Crisis?
4 weeks ago

Can the World Unite to End the Plastic Pollution Crisis?

Live Mint  

-- The final round of United Nations-brokered talks aimed at tackling plastic pollution are opening in South Korea with deep divisions over the need to stem the rising flood of the material, a rift that threatens to scupper a two-year long quest for a deal. A coalition of nearly 70 nations, including Rwanda, Norway and the UK, is pushing for …

'Seize Plastic Items Having Less Than 120 Micron Width', Meghalaya HC Issues Directions To Govt Until Plastic Substitutes Are Developed
1 month ago

'Seize Plastic Items Having Less Than 120 Micron Width', Meghalaya HC Issues Directions To Govt Until Plastic Substitutes Are Developed

Live Law  

While hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking a complete ban on single-use plastic in the State, the Meghalaya High Court issued directions to the State Government to be followed until plastic substitutes are fully developed and implemented in the market. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh directed the State Government to follow the following policy: " to issue administrative orders or …

Garbage dumpyard in Pacific Ocean is getting bigger and bigger
1 month ago

Garbage dumpyard in Pacific Ocean is getting bigger and bigger

India Today  

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals a disturbing trend in the North Pacific Garbage Patch : centimeter-sized plastic fragments are accumulating at an alarming rate, outpacing the growth of larger plastic debris. The research, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup between 2015 and 2022, found that plastic fragments in the NPGP rose from 2.9kg per square km to …

The environmental cost of convenience
1 month, 1 week ago

The environmental cost of convenience

New Indian Express  

On my morning walks in the university campus where I am a scholar-in-residence, I initially saw piles of waste everywhere. However, within next few days, I saw sanitary workers filling their trucks with the garbage piled up on the roadside. The biggest culprits were disposable cutlery, especially the plastic trays used to deliver food along with the delivery packaging. In …

THE DUCHESS OF YORK: I'm on a mission to rid nappies of plastic
1 month, 1 week ago

THE DUCHESS OF YORK: I'm on a mission to rid nappies of plastic

Daily Mail  

In a few months I’m going to become a grandmother for the fifth time. Every minute, more than 380,000 nappies are thrown away around the world, and the World Economic Forum says that it is producing nearly 40 million tons of waste each year. The Duchess of York pictured with daughter Princess Beatrice and granddaughter Sienna Princess Beatrice of York, …

Effective Recycling Supply Chain Crucial for Sustainable Consumer Goods Trade-in Programs
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Effective Recycling Supply Chain Crucial for Sustainable Consumer Goods Trade-in Programs

China Daily  

Trade-in programs are gaining momentum in China, with a focus on effective recycling supply chains to mitigate the environmental impact of waste materials. The government is setting ambitious targets for recycling and circular utilization, aiming to double scrap car recycling volumes, increase used car transaction volumes, and increase waste home appliance recycling quantities by 2027. While there are regulations in …

Plastic Pollution in Telangana: A Mountain of Waste, a Growing Problem
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Plastic Pollution in Telangana: A Mountain of Waste, a Growing Problem

Deccan Chronicle  

Telangana has accumulated over two million tonnes of plastic waste since 2018, with a growth rate of 29.52 per cent in plastic waste generation. The traditional paper cups at tea stalls are not all paper for they are coated with plastic. The government needs to step in and regulate plastic use more strictly and compel companies to find sustainable packaging …

Exxon Mobil says advanced recycling is the answer to plastic waste. But is it really?
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Exxon Mobil says advanced recycling is the answer to plastic waste. But is it really?

LA Times  

Rob Bonta filed suit against Exxon Mobil and accused the oil giant of misleading the public about the effectiveness of plastic recycling, many of the allegations surrounded the company’s marketing of a process called “advanced recycling.” In recent years — as longstanding efforts to recycle plastics have faltered — Exxon Mobil has touted advanced recycling as a groundbreaking technology that …

California is suing ExxonMobil, which is accused of lying about their plastic recycling
3 months ago

California is suing ExxonMobil, which is accused of lying about their plastic recycling

Salon  

ExxonMobil, a fossil fuel company that conspicuously touts a commitment to fighting plastic pollution, is being sued by the State of California as of Monday for allegedly misleading the public about the effectiveness of the various anti-pollution tactics that they advocate. In the first lawsuit ever to be filed against a large oil company for spreading this type of misinformation, …

India’s plastic crisis: The hidden emissions choking the country
3 months, 1 week ago

India’s plastic crisis: The hidden emissions choking the country

Hindustan Times  

Despite ongoing efforts to curb plastic waste, India’s struggle with uncollected trash, especially plastic, and rampant open burning is driving an environmental crisis of unprecedented scale. The study highlights the scale of the global plastic crisis spotlighting India among other countries, with significant emissions driven by uncollected waste and open burning, practices prevalent across many developing nations. India’s plastic emissions …

The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year
3 months, 2 weeks ago

The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

Associated Press  

The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a new study that also said more than two-thirds of it comes from the Global South. For 15% of the world’s population, government fails to collect and dispose of waste, …

Biden EPA rejects plastics industry’s fuzzy math that misleads customers about recycled content
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Biden EPA rejects plastics industry’s fuzzy math that misleads customers about recycled content

Salon  

Series: Selling a Mirage: The Deception Behind Plastic Recycling More in this series The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first ever federal action against a system that misleads consumers about the recycled content in plastic products. A ProPublica investigation in June showed how the plastics industry uses a controversial accounting method called mass balance to advertise plastic products as …

Why reusable plastics can’t fix the climate crisis
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Why reusable plastics can’t fix the climate crisis

The Independent  

If you’re anything like me, you probably have very good intentions when it comes to packaging. While the EMF estimates that over a thousand uses, reusable bottles will result in 69 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a thousand single-use plastic bottles, that is less impactful than swapping out single-use plastic for single-use cartons. A 2020 study found that …

Few small plastic bottles are recycled, 90% target still far off
4 months, 1 week ago

Few small plastic bottles are recycled, 90% target still far off

Dutch News  

Consumers are still reluctant to recycle small plastic bottles and they account for just 25% of bottles handed in via supermarket and railway station recycling points, according to collection agency Verpact. Some 74% of all plastic bottles were collected for recycling last year, Verpact said on Tuesday. Every year, one billion small and 700 large plastic bottles end up in …

Startup Mantra: Transforming waste to save environment
4 months, 1 week ago

Startup Mantra: Transforming waste to save environment

Hindustan Times  

While almost everyone will berate the use of plastic and how it damages the environment, not many will get down to doing something about it. But for Medha Tadpatrikar and Shirish Phadtare, founders of Rudra Blue Planet Environmental Solutions India Limited, who while on a safari holiday, found a deer that died because it had ingested plastic bags, the problem …

The Cure for Disposable Plastic Crap Is Here—and It’s Loony
4 months, 3 weeks ago

The Cure for Disposable Plastic Crap Is Here—and It’s Loony

Wired  

A plastic bag might be the most overengineered object in history. Some years back, I stopped by a French deli to buy some big chunks of cheese and carried them home in a plastic bag. There’s plastic in grocery bags, obviously, but also in yoga pants and car tires and building materials and toys and medical products. A significant chunk …

Plastic mess: On India’s waste problem
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Plastic mess: On India’s waste problem

The Hindu  

India, like other large economies, faces a significant plastic waste problem. According to a 2020-21 report by the Central Pollution Control Board, four million tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually. Recyclers, who have networks to collect plastic waste, recycle the waste and receive validated certificates for each tonne recycled. Addressing the root causes of plastic waste and enhancing the …

Biden administration seeks to eliminate single-use plastics in federal government by 2035
5 months ago

Biden administration seeks to eliminate single-use plastics in federal government by 2035

LA Times  

President Biden announced a new goal Friday to phase out the purchasing and use of single-use plastics across the federal government by 2035. The action is part of a government strategy to “target plastic pollution at production, processing, use and disposal,” according to a government report titled “Mobilizing Federal Action on Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities.” The new initiative …

An ocean of plastics
5 months, 1 week ago

An ocean of plastics

The Hindu  

There is a real-felt need to go beyond mere tokenism of staging earth-hours now and then to stoke dormant concerns on the world’s increasingly fragile ecology. Increased infusion of plastics, much of it non-biodegradable and unrecycled, in IT and other industrial sectors and in day-to-day life poses another existential threat. These incidents portend the looming unmanaged plastic and e-waste threat, …

Companies like Nestle and Unilever modify plastic recycling goals due to implementation difficulties: Report
5 months, 1 week ago

Companies like Nestle and Unilever modify plastic recycling goals due to implementation difficulties: Report

Hindustan Times  

Nestle S.A. changed the wording of its plastic packaging goals in 2022, changing it to “designed for” recycling when earlier, it used to be “recyclable” or reusable packaging, Bloomberg reported. Plastic waste often ends up in water bodies, causing massive harm to animal and human health. The legal difference between these amount to about 280,000 metric tons of additional non-recyclable …

Remoulding the Global Plastics Treaty
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Remoulding the Global Plastics Treaty

The Hindu  

As discussions still continue for an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, it becomes crucial to consider how it can support a fair transition for individuals who collect and recycle waste informally. Editorial | Plastic solution: Beyond the Global Plastics Treaty These workers collect, sort and recover recyclable and reusable materials from general waste, alleviating municipal budgets of financial …

The plastics industry says chemical recycling could help banish pollution. It’s ‘an illusion,’ critics say
6 months, 3 weeks ago

The plastics industry says chemical recycling could help banish pollution. It’s ‘an illusion,’ critics say

CNN  

CNN — A squat, light-colored building in Tigard, Oregon, was supposed to be part of a game-changing new solution for the global plastics industry. “Chemical recycling transforms used plastic and gives it value,” said a spokesperson for the American Chemistry Council, a trade association for US chemical and plastics companies, adding “we must eliminate plastic pollution without eliminating the benefits …

Editorial: Whatever happened to L.A.’s plan to end its reliance on landfills?
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: Whatever happened to L.A.’s plan to end its reliance on landfills?

LA Times  

The smoldering, stinking mess at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic is a glaring example of the environmental and public health hazards created by burying our trash — and how state and local leaders have allowed this problem to pile up. Nearly two decades ago, the city of Los Angeles adopted a visionary plan to divert 90% of the city’s …

Chemical recycling to reduce plastic waste
8 months ago

Chemical recycling to reduce plastic waste

China Daily  

A recent report called for intensified efforts to tap chemical recycling as a key solution to addressing plastic pollution, considering its potential to dispose of low-value plastic waste that is difficult to recycle. Citing statistics from the Plastic Recycling Association, an affiliate of the China National Resources Recycling Association, a news release from the academy said about 62 million metric …

Over 700million pounds of Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging is dumped into environment each year - where chemicals infest livestock, human organs and even clouds
9 months ago

Over 700million pounds of Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging is dumped into environment each year - where chemicals infest livestock, human organs and even clouds

Daily Mail  

It's the environmental disaster hiding in plain sight - a new report finds that Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging generates 709 million pounds of waste each year. Adding insult to injury, the new report found Amazon's so-called 'recyclable' plastic requires customers to drive their waste packaging to special 'store drop-off locations where plastic film is accepted.' The new report, from US …

Amazon claims its packages are recyclable. Much of the plastic ends up in landfills
9 months ago

Amazon claims its packages are recyclable. Much of the plastic ends up in landfills

LA Times  

Although the plastic packaging delivered by Amazon is stamped with recycling arrows, a new report suggests that only a fraction of it actually gets recycled. Although the paper and cardboard items Amazon uses for packaging can be placed in curbside bins and generally get recycled, plastic packaging must be brought to drop-off locations, such as those at Safeway or Target …

Chemicals in plastics far more numerous than previous estimates, report says
9 months, 1 week ago

Chemicals in plastics far more numerous than previous estimates, report says

The Hindu  

At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics — from food packaging to toys to medical devices — than previously estimated by environmental agencies, a report published on Thursday found, raising questions over pollution and consumer safety. While the United Nations Environment Programme had previously identified around 13,000 plastic chemicals, the report by a team of European scientists found more …

Products from recycled plastic in India not safe, says new study
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Products from recycled plastic in India not safe, says new study

Hindustan Times  

Products made from recycled plastic may not be as safe as one may think, according to a new study that has found a cocktail of toxic chemicals in recycled products in Delhi. The study by environmental NGO Toxics Link, titled “Is Plastic Recycling Safe?” that was released on Tuesday, revealed that of the tested products, 86% of toys and 67% …

Big footfalls bring big mounds of plastic and other waste
10 months ago

Big footfalls bring big mounds of plastic and other waste

The Hindu  

Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology Eshwar Khandre on February 5 officially declared temple town Dharmasthala as “plastic free.” Much effort had gone into it behind the scenes by the Dharmasthala Gram Panchayat as well as Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala. Panchayat President Vimala, Mr. Rao, members, the panchayat development officer and other officials visited every shop in the town to urge …

Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?
10 months ago

Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?

Salon  

When the Center for Climate Integrity released its report about plastic recycling, one might have expected the environmentalist non-profit to encourage the practice. Yet the title of Center for Climate Integrity's report — "The Fraud of Plastic Recycling" — reveals a very different point-of-view. "Even if plastic recycling rates were higher, recycling alone could never come close to solving the …

How can we kick our plastic habit? Readers weigh in
10 months ago

How can we kick our plastic habit? Readers weigh in

LA Times  

It’s Tuesday, Feb. 20. I use powdered clothes detergent that comes in a cardboard box to avoid bulky plastic liquid detergent containers.” — Kevin G., Long Beach “I keep cloth bags in my car and one in my purse. Sometimes my children laugh at my reused Ziploc bags, but I just remind them I’m trying to leave the world in …

Despite recycling efforts, more plastic ends up in incinerators
10 months, 1 week ago

Despite recycling efforts, more plastic ends up in incinerators

Dutch News  

More plastic is ending up in incineration plants and producing harmful CO2 emissions despite efforts to promote recycling, caretaker environment minister Vivianne Heijnen has said in a briefing to MPs. Heijnen also announced on Tuesday that the Netherlands has withdrawn from the Plastic Pact, an international initiative to make the packaging chain more sustainable. Other initiatives to boost recycling have …

California’s war on plastic bag use seems to have backfired. Lawmakers are trying again
10 months, 1 week ago

California’s war on plastic bag use seems to have backfired. Lawmakers are trying again

LA Times  

It was a decade ago when California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of anti-plastic legislation from coast to coast. “Basically what happened is that plastic bag companies invented these thicker plastic bags that technically meet that definition of reusable but are clearly not being reused and don’t look like …

Plastic is here to stay. Is sustainable plastic possible?
1 year ago

Plastic is here to stay. Is sustainable plastic possible?

Slate  

Plastic is a material of possibilities. But while this is an important goal, the idea that we’ll just stop needing plastic is “total wishful thinking,” says Velis. So, other research is looking into making polymers that could function like plastic, says Christopher Tassone, lead scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, which is another member of BOTTLE. There are …

The only thing that blocks adoption of more sustainable plastics is our obsession with fossil fuels
1 year, 1 month ago

The only thing that blocks adoption of more sustainable plastics is our obsession with fossil fuels

Salon  

When the San Francisco sea lion named Blonde Bomber made one of his regular appearances at the city's Pier 39, residents were alarmed at the plastic strap wrapped around his neck. "We know that conventional fossil fuel-based plastics are subsidized by taxpayers footing the bill for waste management." "Realizing the potential benefits of biobased materials requires attention to responsible sourcing, …

‘Plogman on India’ Ripu Daman Bevli and residents clean up streets of Coimbatore
1 year, 1 month ago

‘Plogman on India’ Ripu Daman Bevli and residents clean up streets of Coimbatore

The Hindu  

Ripudaman Bevli, began plogging seven years ago. Last year, we cleaned up beaches across Chennai and worked with the Tamil Nadu government for the International Coastal Clean-Up Day.” He says he would now like Indians to participate in #PlasticUpvaas, a social media challenge. “Disposables and single-use items completely overwhelm our lives, so we give people a mantra of #PlasticUpvaas to …

A reporter kept a diary of her plastic use. It was soul-crushing
1 year, 4 months ago

A reporter kept a diary of her plastic use. It was soul-crushing

LA Times  

It’s in our bodies: our lung tissue, our blood and in the dark, tarry first defecation of newborns. Here’s an excerpt: “Clippy for my hair; airpods case; plastic on tea kettle; windows are glass, but casings are vinyl; bird decals on windows ; computer casing; monitor; CO2 monitor ; cordless phone charger; all the USB cords on my desk; mouse; …

Recycling Plastic Utensils: Is It Really Helping The Planet?
1 year, 4 months ago

Recycling Plastic Utensils: Is It Really Helping The Planet?

Huff Post  

Paul Taylor via Getty Images Takeout often comes with plastic cutlery — here's why you should skip it. “The characteristic of plastic cutlery is the bigger problem rather than the polymer that it’s made of,” Walters said. “Plastic cutlery either falls through openings in the equipment or they’ll get tangled up in the equipment, which is even worse because then …

Australia is phasing out single-use plastics — but what items and when depends on where you live
1 year, 4 months ago

Australia is phasing out single-use plastics — but what items and when depends on where you live

ABC  

Along a riverfront in Fremantle, Western Australia, Julie Hughes gets to work grinding coffee beans as locals arrive for their morning caffeine fix. "States and territories have individually tackled some of those items like lightweight plastic bags, or plastic straws, plastic cutlery and stirrers," he says. It covers the items covered in the national agreement, alongside other single-use plastics that …

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