Amazon must stop flooding our oceans with plastic waste
4 years, 3 months ago

Amazon must stop flooding our oceans with plastic waste

Al Jazeera  

Just last month, Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon, announced that he would be donating $791m to 16 environmental organisations to help combat the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, as Amazon and its leader make news for their contributions to the fight against climate change, plastic packaging used by Amazon floods municipal waste systems and, a part of it, pollutes waterways and seas around the world. According to a new Oceana report, Amazon generated an estimated 465 million pounds of air pillows, bubble wrap and other plastic packaging waste in 2019, which, in the form of air pillows, would provide enough plastic to circle the Earth more than 500 times. As part of its efforts to reduce waste and combat climate change, Amazon has recently prioritised the use of flexible lightweight packaging partially made of plastic over more-bulky non-plastic options such as cardboard boxes. An impressive 87 percent, meanwhile, said that they want Amazon and other major online retailers to offer plastic-free packaging options at checkout and/or other measures that would reduce plastic.

Climate Change Climate Packaging Waste Plastic Reduce Its Customers Plastic Waste Oceans Plastic Packaging Oceana Stop Flooding Change Amazon  customers  waste  reduce  change  amazon  climate  stop  flooding  packaging  used  oceans  plastic

History of this topic

This ship sails around the world fighting plastic pollution. We take a look inside
1 week, 5 days ago

This ship sails around the world fighting plastic pollution. We take a look inside

The Hindu  

Chennai’s skies and waters are in a never-ending tussle on who wears the colour blue best. Grandly christened the Plastic Odyssey, this 40-metre long “floating laboratory” is a three-and-half year expedition that set sail from Marseilles, in the South of France, on October 1, 2022, and has since been collecting low-cost, sustainable plastic waste solutions from around the world. Simon …

Warning issued to UK shoppers buying washing-up liquid
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Warning issued to UK shoppers buying washing-up liquid

The Independent  

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Warning issued to UK shoppers buying washing-up liquid
Trending News
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Warning issued to UK shoppers buying washing-up liquid

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

How to tackle plastic pollution and reduce plastic waste
3 months, 2 weeks 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 …

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

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

Biden administration seeks to eliminate single-use plastics in federal government by 2035
8 months, 1 week 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
8 months, 2 weeks 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, …

Australia considers mandating recycled plastic packaging as beaches drown in rubbish
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Australia considers mandating recycled plastic packaging as beaches drown in rubbish

ABC  

In short: Environment groups cleaning and re-cleaning northern beaches of plastics want the Commonwealth to consider taxing products that don't contain recycled material. "A big thanks to the Sea Shepherd crew who came along to help us, because it is a big job for our nine rangers, and it's a long beach," ranger coordinator William Campbell said. "If we had …

Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life

NPR  

Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Just for a minute, think about how much of the plastic you use today will end up as trash. “But there’s a growing agreement,” she said, that a lot of single-use plastic “can probably go.” toggle caption Matt Cardy/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe The plastics industry …

Why your small goods come in gigantic boxes
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Why your small goods come in gigantic boxes

BBC  

Why your small goods come in gigantic boxes Getty Images Even the tiniest purchases often end up in massive packaging. This is called "packaging psychology", says Rycroft, and some companies use it to their advantage – or at least don't go out of their way to ensure boxes are right sized for their contents. When those large boxes show up, …

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

Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?
1 year, 1 month 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 …

Australia's plastic mismanagement to mount as researchers warn of ongoing pollution crisis
1 year, 8 months ago

Australia's plastic mismanagement to mount as researchers warn of ongoing pollution crisis

ABC  

Australia is in danger of mismanaging more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste by the end of the year, according to new research. Key points: Australia is predicted to consume over 1 million tonnes of short-life plastic by end of 2023 Researchers warn mismanagement of plastic waste remains a key issue It comes as a central Victorian kerbside recycling program …

The Planet Earth in a Plastic Soup
1 year, 9 months ago

The Planet Earth in a Plastic Soup

Hindustan Times  

The United Nations declared 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry to honour the 100th Anniversary of the Nobel award in Chemistry to Marie Curie and also to commemorate the contributions of chemical sciences in the progress of human civilization. Unsurprisingly, the United Nations has declared ‘#Beat Plastic Pollution’ as the central theme of this year’s World Environment Day — …

World Environment Day 2023: 5 Tips To Minimize Waste And Foster Eco-Consciousness At Work
1 year, 9 months ago

World Environment Day 2023: 5 Tips To Minimize Waste And Foster Eco-Consciousness At Work

News 18  

In today’s world, where environmental consciousness is paramount, reducing waste at work has become a crucial responsibility for businesses. Anshul Agrawal, Director, Mysore Deep Perfumery House & Zed Black shares some effective strategies to implement at the workplace: Minimize Paper UsageThe foremost significant step towards promoting environmental consciousness at work is to reduce the use of paper. Encourage the adoption …

Explained | What is Biotransformation tech
2 years ago

Explained | What is Biotransformation tech

The Hindu  

E-commerce giant Amazon generated an estimated 321 million kilograms of plastic from packaging waste in 2021 alone. It claims the technology would digest the plastic packaging waste naturally with the help of microbes and biodegrade the waste without leaving behind any microplastics. India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, last year in New Delhi said, the country is generating 3.5 billion kgs …

New plastic waste guide aims for 100% circular packaging by 2050
2 years ago

New plastic waste guide aims for 100% circular packaging by 2050

NL Times  

The Waste Fund Packaging foundation presented a new Plastic Guide that aims to help municipalities, importers, producers, and recyclers work towards a packaging system that is 100% fossil free with 0% damage to people and the environment in 2050. It requires “different thinking and handling of the production and use of plastic packaging.” The Plastic Guide sets goals for a …

Amazon’s plastic packaging could circle the planet 800 times. Can it be stopped?
2 years, 3 months ago

Amazon’s plastic packaging could circle the planet 800 times. Can it be stopped?

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. Jeff Bezos says he will give $124bn fortune to charity Oceana, the environmental advocacy group, estimated Amazon’s plastic packaging …

Why Most Plastic Ends Up As Trash In A Landfill : Short Wave : NPR
2 years, 3 months 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 …

Coke could help save oceans from plastic — by keeping its promise
2 years, 5 months ago

Coke could help save oceans from plastic — by keeping its promise

Al Jazeera  

The company defines how we drink beverages. That commitment, if met, could keep billions of single-use plastic bottles from polluting the world’s waterways and oceans while also reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Unfortunately, a key ingredient needed for Coca-Cola to keep its vow is missing so far: a parallel commitment from the company’s big bottlers to also raise their refillable …

Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse
2 years, 5 months ago

Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse

NPR  

Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse Enlarge this image toggle caption Laura Sullivan/NPR Laura Sullivan/NPR The vast majority of plastic that people use, and in many cases put into blue recycling bins, is headed to landfills, or worse, according to a report from Greenpeace on the state of plastic recycling in the U.S. Greenpeace …

California sets nation’s toughest plastics reduction rules
2 years, 8 months ago

California sets nation’s toughest plastics reduction rules

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting material if they want their wares on California store shelves. Plastic makers would form their own industry group tasked with developing a plan to meet the requirements, which would need approval from the state’s recycling …

Plastic Free July 2022: How to smash the challenge, from reusable bottles to make-up
2 years, 8 months ago

Plastic Free July 2022: How to smash the challenge, from reusable bottles to make-up

The Independent  

Get our weekly Home and Garden email for tips, advice and interior inspiration Get our weekly Home and Garden email for tips, and interior inspiration Get our weekly Home and Garden email for tips, and interior inspiration SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Plastic Free July …

Newsom signs nation’s most sweeping law to phase out single-use plastics and packaging waste
2 years, 9 months ago

Newsom signs nation’s most sweeping law to phase out single-use plastics and packaging waste

LA Times  

A trash can overflows with plastic waste at a park. The new law, he said, would “grow markets, create incentives for investment, and give tools to other states and countries to help play their part in this fight.” For the past six months, a team of roughly two dozen negotiators — mostly women — hammered out language designed to reduce …

World Oceans Day 2022: Why Is Plastic Waste A Problem?
2 years, 9 months ago

World Oceans Day 2022: Why Is Plastic Waste A Problem?

News 18  

WORLD OCEANS DAY 2022: One of the major natural resources that make planet earth habitable and distinct from other planets, is water. However, oceans today face a large threat from water pollution and the menace of plastic waste. Oceans often become a dumping site for this plastic waste that ends up degrading the quality of water. Humans consume these marine …

Australia's plastic recycling industry changes are fast taking effect
2 years, 11 months ago

Australia's plastic recycling industry changes are fast taking effect

ABC  

If Australians haven't noticed the changes being made to how, when, and where they recycle plastic, they will in the coming months. Key points: More changes to Australia's plastic export industry will come into effect from July 1 Australia will increase its domestic capacity for plastic reprocessing from 227,000 tonnes in 2020–21 to at least 420,000 tonnes by 2025 There …

Govt notifies extended producer responsibility norms for plastic packaging waste
3 years, 1 month ago

Govt notifies extended producer responsibility norms for plastic packaging waste

Live Mint  

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility on plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The guidelines on extended producer responsibility coupled with prohibition of identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, with effect from 1st July 2022, are important steps for reducing pollution …

Plastic pollution in oceans on track to rise for decades
3 years, 1 month ago

Plastic pollution in oceans on track to rise for decades

Associated Press  

BERLIN — Plastic pollution at sea is reaching worrying levels and will continue to grow even if significant action is taken now to stop such waste from reaching the world’s oceans, according to a review of hundreds of academic studies. The review by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute, commissioned by environmental campaign group WWF, examined almost 2,600 research papers on the …

'Can't just recycle our way out of plastic crisis,' say experts
3 years, 3 months ago

'Can't just recycle our way out of plastic crisis,' say experts

Hindustan Times  

Recycling will not be able to contain a runaway global plastic waste crisis, experts said on Friday as they called on companies to reduce plastic production and shift more products into reusable and refillable packaging. "We won't be able to just recycle or reduce our way out of it," said Rob Kaplan, CEO of Circulate Capital, which invests in emerging …

Science report: US should make less plastic to save oceans
3 years, 3 months ago

Science report: US should make less plastic to save oceans

Associated Press  

America needs to rethink and reduce the way it generates plastics because so much of the material is littering the oceans and other waters, the National Academy of Sciences says in a new report. Recycling and proper disposal alone aren’t enough and can’t handle the problem, so the “United States should substantially reduce solid waste generation to reduce plastic waste …

Are supermarkets really cutting back on plastic packaging?
3 years, 4 months ago

Are supermarkets really cutting back on plastic packaging?

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. Read our privacy policy Since the mid 20th century, plasticwaste has ballooned, with our species extracting oil in order …

Ocean largely littered with takeaway food and drink items, study finds
3 years, 9 months ago

Ocean largely littered with takeaway food and drink items, study finds

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. Read our privacy policy Almost half of the litter found in the world’s oceans is plastic made by takeaway …

Why John Oliver is right, plastic recycling is a broken system and what we should do about it
4 years ago

Why John Oliver is right, plastic recycling is a broken system and what we should do about it

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. Read our privacy policy John Oliver tackled the failure that is plastic recycling during Sunday’s episode of Last Week …

Coca-Cola named world’s worst plastic polluter for third straight year
4 years, 3 months ago

Coca-Cola named world’s worst plastic polluter for third straight year

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. Read our privacy policy Coca-Cola has been branded the world’s worst plastic polluter for the third year in a …

How humanity lost control of plastic pollution
4 years, 4 months ago

How humanity lost control of plastic pollution

Salon  

Early in the pandemic, many scientists noticed an odd, incongruous side effect of business closures and widespread shelter-in-place orders: a concomitant reduction in air pollution. Yet new reports appear to show that any such hope was misplaced, as whatever drop in air pollution the pandemic may have indirectly caused was displaced by a massive surge in plastic waste. Indeed, that …

Why ‘The World's Largest Recycling Plant' Won't Solve The Plastics Crisis
4 years, 4 months ago

Why ‘The World's Largest Recycling Plant' Won't Solve The Plastics Crisis

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING In September, Loop Industries, a startup with backing from several giant consumer brands, announced it was partnering with French waste management giant Suez to open the world’s largest recycling facility, somewhere in Europe, by 2023. It was touted as the world’s first Infinite Loop recycling facility, using Loop Industries’ proprietary, “game-changing” chemical process to break down PET, …

Big plastic polluters accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over pledges to reduce waste while lobbying to block reforms
4 years, 6 months ago

Big plastic polluters accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over pledges to reduce waste while lobbying to block reforms

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

What will Earth's plastic problem look like in 2040?
4 years, 7 months ago

What will Earth's plastic problem look like in 2040?

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But when it comes to plastic pollution, we know close to nothing about how and where plastic …

Ocean plastic pollution: Surface clean-up technology will not solve plastic problem, finds study
4 years, 7 months ago

Ocean plastic pollution: Surface clean-up technology will not solve plastic problem, finds study

Hindustan Times  

Analysing the impact of the currently used devices that collect waste from the ocean surface, a team of researchers in their new study has explained it won’t solve the plastic pollution problems. However, river barriers could be more effective, and - though they have no impact on plastic already in the oceans - they could reduce pollution “significantly” if used …

Ocean plastic pollution set to double within 30 years – and clean-up technology won’t solve problem, study shows
4 years, 7 months ago

Ocean plastic pollution set to double within 30 years – and clean-up technology won’t solve problem, study shows

The Independent  

Devices that collect floating waste from the surface of the ocean will not solve the problem of plastic pollution, a study shows. “The other major solutions are to bury or burn it — but burying could contaminate the ground and burning leads to extra CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.” The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, …

Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: Study
4 years, 8 months ago

Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: Study

India Today  

The amount of plastic waste flowing into the ocean and killing marine life could triple in the next 20 years, unless companies and governments can drastically reduce plastic production, a new study published on Thursday said. If no action is taken, however, the amount of plastic going into the sea every year will rise from 11 million tonnes to 29 …

Ocean Plastics Could Triple If We Don’t Act Now, Warn Experts
4 years, 8 months ago

Ocean Plastics Could Triple If We Don’t Act Now, Warn Experts

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Plastic waste in the ocean could nearly triple over the next two decades unless the world takes unprecedented levels of action now and completely changes the way it uses plastics, warns a new report released Thursday. “Unsurprisingly, people who dump waste in the environment don’t keep records, so there remains huge uncertainty amongst the many estimates of …

Welsh government announces ban on single-use plastic in bid to tackle ocean waste
5 years ago

Welsh government announces ban on single-use plastic in bid to tackle ocean waste

The Independent  

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Lidl launches packaging made from recycled plastic bound for the ocean
5 years, 1 month ago

Lidl launches packaging made from recycled plastic bound for the ocean

The Independent  

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Editorial: The EPA’s new recycling plan is straight out of 1985
5 years, 4 months ago

Editorial: The EPA’s new recycling plan is straight out of 1985

LA Times  

The breakdown in global recycling markets and the growing public alarm over plastic waste in the ocean has prompted appropriately consequential action across the globe. That at least is the message coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which this month released a recycling action plan that barely mentions the most problematic source of trash, disposable plastic. Instead, the plan …

Why biodegradables won’t solve the plastic crisis
5 years, 5 months ago

Why biodegradables won’t solve the plastic crisis

BBC  

Why biodegradables won’t solve the plastic crisis Getty Images A Bangladeshi child sifts through waste "Green" alternatives to throwaway plastics don’t always break down in sea water. “Which you could argue is more problematic because you can't clean up – it's like trying to pick up Smarties with chopsticks.” Getty Images When plastics break down in the sea they become …

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