Compostable plastic isn’t the green alternative you think it is
Contrary to popular belief, products made of “compostable” plastic won’t degrade in your home compost. Rather, they are products that can decompose in commercial composting facilities, which are rare in the U.S.
Link between plastic and heart attacks shows it's time to reduce packaging and its chemicals
Plastic has now been linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and premature death in humans. At what point will policymakers realize this material — which lingers for centuries and is made with chemicals known to be toxic to humans — is as much a threat to human health as it is to the planet?
After Overshadowing Climate Talks, the Myth of ‘Circularity’ Looms Over the UN Plastics Treaty
Delegates from 191 countries meet once again this month for the UN plastics treaty talks in Ottawa, and they need to avoid falling into industry traps that will hinder real progress. Dow chair and CEO Jim Fitterling’s recent Commentary in Fortune is a perfect example of how to ensure failure in Ottawa. If delegates commit to the priorities he outlined, they will fail to implement real solutions to the growing problem caused by his company and companies like it.
Reduce Packaging That Contains Toxins
One thing that environmentalists and industry agree on is that bottled water is merely one packaging product in an ever-expanding ambition to package food and beverage products in plastic containers “ ‘Nanoplastics’ and health: What to know,” News, Jan. 14]. More than half of all plastics ever produced have been made since 2000.
Taking Plastic Packaging BACK to the Store to Push CEOs to Skip Single-Use Plastic
Learn more about the fantastic plastic packaging take-backs Beyond Plastics advocates hosted outside major grocery chains across the country this Plastic Free July.
What You Need to Know About Bioplastics
Bioplastics are a small but growing market of plastics that are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to concerns about the environmental and health impacts of traditional plastic. But behind that green sheen, biodegradable and compostable plastics have serious problems.
Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work
We need the facts so that individuals and policy makers can take concrete action to replicate proven solutions to the U.S.’s plastic-waste and pollution problems across the country. These solutions include enacting bans on single-use plastic bags and unrecyclable single-use plastic food-service products, ensuring widespread access to water-refilling stations, installing dishwashing equipment in schools to allow students to eat food on real dishes rather than single-use plastics, and switching Meals on Wheels and other meal-delivery programs from disposables to reusable dishware.
We Never Got Good at Recycling Plastic. Some States Are Trying a New Approach.
After recycling's failure to appreciably reduce the amount of plastic the U.S. throws away, some states are taking a new approach, transferring the onus of recycling from consumers to product manufacturers.
2 New Bills Aim to Reduce Plastic Pollution in New York State
As New York state grapples with a plastic pollution crisis, legislators are taking aim at the problem with a new spate of policy proposals. Two bills introduced in the New York state assembly this month would place far-reaching requirements on plastic manufacturers, mandating that they pay for waste management and dramatically increase recycling rates, among other things.
U.S. Plastic Recycling Rate Drops to Close to 5% - Report
The rate of plastic waste recycling in the United States fell to between 5%-6% in 2021 as some countries stopped accepting U.S. waste exports and as plastic waste generation surged to new highs, according to a report released on Wednesday by environmental groups Last Beach Clean Up and Beyond Plastics.
U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate Slumps Below 6%, Analysis Finds
Americans are recycling far less plastic, according to an analysis published Wednesday, with rates falling below 6 percent in 2021. The research from Beyond Plastics and the Last Beach Cleanup aims to shed light on the state of recycling in the United States given a delay in federal reporting.
California Opens Investigation Into ‘Decades-Long Plastics Deception Campaign’
California’s attorney general has announced an unprecedented investigation into the fossil fuel industry — not for its knowledge about climate change, but for its role in causing the global plastics pollution crisis.
Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing.
The universal symbol for recycling, known as the “chasing arrows” logo, is stamped on so many things. But that doesn’t mean they’re recyclable.
A Shot In The Arm For Recycling – And The Environment
In January, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that aims to build on and bolster recycling efforts across New Jersey by requiring more recycled content in a variety of packaging products. These include plastic and paper shopping bags, plastic food and drink containers, plastic trash bags, and glass bottles and containers.
Why Are Plastic Bags So Bad For New Jersey's Environment That We Need A Ban?
Environmentalists say banning such bags is a big step toward reducing the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution.
Plastic Use In Agriculture Is Contributing To Climate Change
Plastic in fields—such as for mulching, enclosing hoop houses, and constructing greenhouses is drastically changing the rural landscape.
EPR Legislation Not Included in Final New York State Budget Despite Governor's Support
A plan for an extended producer responsibility program for packaging was not included in New York’s final state budget, which passed this weekend, despite Gov. Kathy Hochul spearheading the initiative by naming it a “landmark proposal” and including it in her executive budget.
Plastic Is Everywhere Except In Democrats' Plans For A Fossil Fuel-Free Future
It’s the overlooked — often forgotten — petroleum product left out of Democrats’ clean energy agenda: plastics. The petrochemical industry is on pace to become the leading driver of global oil demand and potentially more difficult for opponents of greenhouse gases to eliminate than gasoline-powered cars.
Microplastics Found Deep In Lungs Of Living People For First Time
Microplastic pollution has been discovered lodged deep in the lungs of living people for the first time. The particles were found in almost all the samples analysed.
Questions Over Plastics Policy In Budget Remain Given Plastic Connections By Lobbyists
A nonprofit with ties to Exxon Mobile and the American Chemistry Council is lobbying state officials on a policy that could alter the way New York handles recycling, alarming certain environmental groups.