Reduce, reuse, redirect outrage: How plastic makers used recycling as a fig leaf
The plastics industry has worked for decades to convince people and policymakers that recycling would keep waste out of landfills and the environment. Consumers sort their trash so plastic packaging can be repurposed, and local governments use taxpayer money to gather and process the material. Yet from the early days of recycling, plastic makers, including oil and gas companies, knew that it wasn't a viable solution to deal with increasing amounts of waste, according to documents uncovered by the Center for Climate Integrity.
Toothpaste Tablets and Syrup on Tap: Us Refill Shops Cut the Container
At Mason & Greens in Washington, the lack of packaging is the point -- the small shop selling household goods and groceries is among dozens of zero-waste refill stores sprouting up in US cities from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Such stores are emblematic of what experts say is a necessary culture shift in one of the world's largest consumer economies, where the average person generates 4.9 pounds of waste per day, according to government statistics.
Dangers of Plastic Pollution Energize Citizens and Scientists as Lawmakers Devise Controls
That plastic spoon that I used to eat my takeout salad today will remain on Earth for as long as the planet exists. Except for the 1% of “bioplastics” made from corn or other plants, 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels and a mixture of 10,000 petrochemical additives, also made from oil and gas. They do not biodegrade.
Environmental NGO Urges Restaurants to Reduce Use of Plastics
The global fight to reduce the use of plastics is coming to restaurants, as Beyond Plastics, a civil action movement to fight plastic pollution from the US state of Vermont, has released a guide for eateries to reduce their dependence on plasticware. "Everything plastics, especially those which are difficult to recycle – it should be out of the door," said Megan Wolff, Beyond Plastics policy director and author of the guide.
Why This Grocery Chain is Ditching Single-Use Bottled Water
If you can get it from the tap, you can’t buy it in these Oregon and California supermarkets.
Brand interest in reuse rising, but it still accounts for less than 2% of plastic packaging market
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest progress report on where consumer goods companies stand on the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment shows substantial work ahead.
What happens to all of those campaign signs after the election?
It's not uncommon to see political signs stand for a year after Election Day. And while the placards create plenty of visual litter, what's more concerning is the physical litter they can cause.
3 ways to dispose of campaign signs that are better than throwing them out
Throwing your campaign signs in the garbage can be harmful to the environment. We spoke to experts about the best ways to dispose of them.