Quitting single-use plastic in Japan
2 years, 4 months ago

Quitting single-use plastic in Japan

BBC  

Quitting single-use plastic in Japan Charly Triballeau / Getty Images Single-use plastics which cannot be recycled are difficult to avoid in Tokyo Japan is one of the world's biggest plastic waste producers, thanks to its love of packaging - but a week of going plastic-free in Tokyo reveals surprising solutions. 63% of plastic waste was processed as "thermal recycling," which involves using the plastic as an ingredient for solid fuel and burning it for energy. In Europe, this 'thermal recycling' would be considered energy recovery, not recycling," Ida says, adding that Japan is the largest exporter of plastic waste. Part of the problem, Ida says, is that Japan's strategy for dealing with plastic waste places the lion's share of the burden on consumers and local governments.

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History of this topic

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 …

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 …

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 …

India suggests funding proposal for plastic phase-out
3 weeks, 6 days ago

India suggests funding proposal for plastic phase-out

Hindustan Times  

India has circulated a proposal for the financial arrangement to implement a global legally binding instrument on phasing out plastic pollution, currently being negotiated in South Korea’s Busan where the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment is being held. India’s proposal suggests that parties …

'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 …

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, …

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 …

Sales of plastic bags drop 98% in a decade after Mail's pioneering campaign to ban them
3 months ago

Sales of plastic bags drop 98% in a decade after Mail's pioneering campaign to ban them

Daily Mail  

The number of single-use plastic bags sold in 2023/24 fell by 67million compared to the previous year - and has dropped by 98 per cent in a decade. In 2023/24, the total number of single-use plastic bags sold by all retailers fell to 340 million, down from 407 million in 2022/23. In a further incredible drop, the number of single-use …

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, …

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 …

Tiruchi Corporation cracks down on circulation of single-use plastics in commercial establishments
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tiruchi Corporation cracks down on circulation of single-use plastics in commercial establishments

The Hindu  

The Tiruchi City Corporation has launched an enforcement drive to check the use of single-use plastics and other banned products used for packaging in shops. So far, over 430 kg of single-use plastics from 412 shops across five zones and levied penalties amounting to ₹3.06 lakh. Single-use plastics such as cups and covers were seized from eateries, textile shops, roadside …

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 …

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, …

Will alternatives to plastic bags step up the fight against waste?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Will alternatives to plastic bags step up the fight against waste?

The Hindu  

The switch to the alternatives to the banned plastic products has yielded mixed results in Tamil Nadu. A shopkeeper at Parry’s Corner says, “We have shifted from selling plastic items to printing invitation cards, selling greeting cards and paper and cloth bags since the Tamil Nadu government banned the single-use plastic. But, on Anderson Street, you will still find many …

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 …

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 …

A ban on single-use plastics takes effect in Hong Kong in a bid to reduce pollution
8 months ago

A ban on single-use plastics takes effect in Hong Kong in a bid to reduce pollution

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong has long been a major producer and consumer of great food, and a great amount of plastic and Styrofoam to go with it. A pedestrian carries takeaway food plastic bags in Hong Kong, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. A customer collects a takeaway food plastic bag at Kuen Fat Kitchen in Hong Kong, Wednesday, April 10, …

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 …

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 …

Trash talk: The big problem with tiny packs
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Trash talk: The big problem with tiny packs

Hindustan Times  

It may have an expiry date of February 2025, but the tiny packs in your purse, your travel pack and elsewhere in your home will likely be around, in some form or another, for at least 500 years. “One of the first barriers is the glass,” says Alexis Hocken, a chemical engineering doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, …

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 …

Opinion: California faces an uphill battle against plastic
10 months ago

Opinion: California faces an uphill battle against plastic

LA Times  

Given its green bona fides, it’s no surprise that California was the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags 10 years ago. The plastic bag companies got a caveat in the legislation allowing grocery stores and large retailers to sell plastic bags for a minimum of 10 cents each if they are reusable and recyclable in California. …

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 …

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 …

Single-use plastic waste from food delivery apps could be reduced with one tweak
1 year, 3 months ago

Single-use plastic waste from food delivery apps could be reduced with one tweak

ABC  

Food delivery apps are a blessing. Key points: Adding a "green nudge" to food delivery apps could promote more sustainable behaviours from users Changing the default setting to "no cutlery" on a Chinese food delivery app saw the share of no-cutlery orders increase by 648 per cent Researchers say this tweak could cut out 21.75 billion single-use plastics annually in …

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; …

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 …

Plastic rules "mostly benefit business", say environmentalists
1 year, 4 months ago

Plastic rules "mostly benefit business", say environmentalists

Dutch News  

Making plastic packaging more expensive to encourage the use of reusable alternatives will only benefit business while the effect on the environment is negligible, environmental organisations have said. The new rules, which came into effect on July 1, means fast food outlets can charge customers up to 25 cents more for a single-use plastic cup and up to 50 cents …

Plastic rules "mostly benefit business", say environmentalists
1 year, 4 months ago

Plastic rules "mostly benefit business", say environmentalists

Dutch News  

Making plastic packaging more expensive to encourage the use of reusable alternatives will only benefit business while the effect on the environment is negligible, environmental organisations have said. The new rules, which came into effect on July 1, means fast food outlets can charge customers up to 25 cents more for a single-use plastic cup and up to 50 cents …

Food waste costs Australian households up to $3,000 a year
1 year, 5 months ago

Food waste costs Australian households up to $3,000 a year

ABC  

As a nation, Australians are throwing too much food in the bin. Key points: The equivalent of one in five shopping bags of food purchased in Australia goes to waste Throwing out one burger wastes the equivalent amount of water as running a shower for 90 minutes RMIT-led research has found unsuitable packaging sizes, poor buying habits, date label confusion, …

The Planet Earth in a Plastic Soup
1 year, 6 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 — …

240 tonnes of plastic dumped in Delhi everyday: Report
1 year, 6 months ago

240 tonnes of plastic dumped in Delhi everyday: Report

Hindustan Times  

The Capital currently generates over 1,100 tonnes per day of plastic waste, but only around 870 TPD is being recycled or managed, leaving a gap of 242 TPD, or 22% of Delhi’s plastic waste load which ends up either in drains, at landfill or finding its way to the Yamuna, the latest data shows. Read here: Environment needs our urgent …

Editorial: The new anti-trash mantra should be reduce, recycle — and repair
1 year, 7 months ago

Editorial: The new anti-trash mantra should be reduce, recycle — and repair

LA Times  

One of the most pernicious sources of plastic waste will never be welcome in our blue recycling bins because, well, they are supposed to last. Right-to-repair laws, which have popped up around the country in recent years, require product manufacturers to provide consumers and independent repair shops reasonable access to repair manuals, parts and software so they have more options …

Explained | What is Biotransformation tech
1 year, 8 months 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
1 year, 9 months 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 …

Plastic use in G20 countries projected to nearly double by 2050: Study
1 year, 9 months ago

Plastic use in G20 countries projected to nearly double by 2050: Study

Hindustan Times  

Plastic use in G20 countries is on course to nearly double by the middle of the century unless a comprehensive and legally binding global treaty to curb consumption is drawn up, according to research published on Monday. Among the G20 countries that have yet to introduce national bans on single-use plastic products are Brazil, the United States, Indonesia and Turkey. …

More supermarkets stop giving away plastic and paper bags for fruits & vegetables
1 year, 10 months ago

More supermarkets stop giving away plastic and paper bags for fruits & vegetables

NL Times  

Supermarket chains Lidl, Jumbo, Plus and Aldi will stop offering free plastic and paper disposable bags for fruits and vegetables this year. That is why it is important that as many supermarket chains participate as possible,” said Carlijn Röell, the head of the Plastic Pact NL. With this measure, the five expect to save around 126 million plastic bags and …

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges
1 year, 10 months ago

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges

The Hindu  

Polluting single-use plastic production rose by 6 million tonnes per year from 2019 to 2021 despite tougher worldwide regulations, with producers making "little progress" to tackle the problem and boost recycling, new research showed on Monday. But while growth has slowed recently, the production of single-use plastic from "virgin" fossil fuel sources is still nowhere near its peak, and the …

How much plastic is too much for our planet?
1 year, 11 months ago

How much plastic is too much for our planet?

Al Jazeera  

On Wednesday, January 11 at 19:30 GMT: Microplastics – tiny particles that result from the breakdown of plastics – are everywhere, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. And while the harms caused by microplastics are still being studied, researchers and environmental advocates say more action needs to be taken to rein in plastic pollution. Global plastic …

Editorial: California is leading the nation on cutting plastic trash. But it still needs to do more
1 year, 11 months ago

Editorial: California is leading the nation on cutting plastic trash. But it still needs to do more

LA Times  

Last year was a good one for trash. But in 2022, they went big and broad, enacting Senate Bill 54, a revolutionary law that will start phasing out all varieties of single-use plastic in 2025 — basically everything on the shelves of grocery and other retail stores — through escalating composting and recycling requirements on consumer products packaging. But even …

Banned Single-use plastics are still widely used across Chennai
1 year, 11 months ago

Banned Single-use plastics are still widely used across Chennai

The Hindu  

Single-use plastics are still in widespread use in Chennai three years after the Tamil Nadu government ordered a ban on the manufacture, sale, and usage of plastic and polystyrene commodities. “One pack of 100 plastic straws used to cost ₹30 but a pack of 80 paper straws costs nearly ₹45,” said Selvam, a tender coconut vendor at Valasaravakkam. Alternatives not …

Think those bags are recyclable? California says think again
1 year, 11 months ago

Think those bags are recyclable? California says think again

LA Times  

Rob Bonta says manufacturers can’t back up their claim that the thicker, more durable reusable bags are recyclable as required by the 2014 law that banned single-use plastic shopping bags. Since California adopted the nation’s first ban on single-use plastic shopping bags in 2014, most grocery stores have turned to thicker, reusable plastic bags that are supposed to be recyclable. …

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 …

Australian government pledges to recycle all plastics by 2040
2 years, 1 month ago

Australian government pledges to recycle all plastics by 2040

ABC  

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says despite the collapse of a major soft plastics recycling scheme, the federal government has set a target to recycle or reuse 100 per cent of plastic waste by 2040 and end plastic pollution. Key points: The nation currently recycles about 16 per cent of plastics The environment minister says Australia is a "large producer of …

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