Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

“Bomb Train” in Ohio Sickens Residents After Railroad Cutbacks, Corporate Greed Led to Toxic Disaster

Fears of a wider health and environmental disaster are growing, after a 150-car freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed and a so-called controlled burn released toxic chemicals last week in East Palestine, Ohio. Residents reported seeing a fireball and mushroom cloud of smoke fill the skyline. Data released by the Environmental Protection Agency shows the train contained more toxic and carcinogenic chemicals than initially reported, including phosgene, a poisonous gas that has been used as a chemical weapon in war.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?

Recent studies reveal that tiny pieces of plastic are constantly lofted into the atmosphere. These particles can travel thousands of miles and affect the formation of clouds, which means they have the potential to impact temperature, rainfall, and even climate change.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Groups Rally Against Chemical Recycling in New Mexico

Over 70 organizations and businesses signed a letter to New Mexico’s governor last week, asking her not to classify chemical recycling as recycling. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a democrat, attended the opening of a PlastikGas demonstration facility in Los Lunas, N.M. last year, which is driving the letter writers’ concerns.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Why Walmart Is Eliminating Single-Use Bags in Some States but Not Others

Walmart will eliminate single-use paper and plastic carryout bags at the register from stores in New York, Connecticut and Colorado this month. The company previously stopped giving out single-use plastic bags in New York and Connecticut and in some areas in Colorado. Walmart offers reusable shopping bags starting at 74 cents for customers without their own bags.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Senators Press Industry on Plastic Waste Impacts

During a two-hour hearing, U.S. senators questioned industry experts about chemicals in plastics, marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility. The Dec. 15 hearing by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works’ Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight brought four panelists together to answer questions from legislators.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Plastic Gift Cards on Climate Advocates’ ‘Naughty List’ This Christmas

For the 16th year in a row, gift cards will be the most requested present of the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. While many cards are often left in wallets or drawers, some just end up in the trash. Even worse, many end up getting illegally dumped in countries like Turkey, India and Mexico.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

No Plastics Panacea: Chemical Recycling Causes Pollution, Promotes Waste

By now it’s no secret that plastics pollution is a major environmental problem. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human blood, and the buildup of plastic waste in our oceans has reached critical levels. For decades the plastics industry has told us that if we just do our part and recycle, the problem will go away. But no matter how much we recycle, things only seem to get worse.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Beyond Plastics Urges Consumers to Avoid Plastic Gift Cards This Holiday Season

More than 3.4 billion gift cards were sold in the United States in 2021 and 47% of U.S. adults said they have one or more unused gift cards in their possession, according to Research and Markets. But as environmentally conscious consumers demand more sustainable products, plastic gift cards have often flown under the radar, despite frequently ending up as plastic waste.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Paper or Plastic? Gift Cards Don’t Need to Be Trash

More than 3.4 billion gift cards were sold in the United States in 2021 and 47% of U.S. adults said they have one or more unused gift cards in their possession, according to Research and Markets. But as environmentally conscious consumers demand more sustainable products, plastic gift cards have often flown under the radar, despite frequently ending up as plastic waste.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

NRC Panelists: Strong EPR Requires Reduction, Transparency

Model extended producer responsibility bills and federal funding were two hot topics at the 2022 National Recycling Congress, with panelists calling for packaging reduction and a broad overhaul of the recycling system. The 2022 National Recycling Congress was held virtually on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, put on by the National Recycling Coalition.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

‘Astounding’ Results From NJ’s Plastic Bag Ban, 6 Months In

Just six months into a statewide ban on single-use paper and plastic bags, billions of these bags have avoided circulation in New Jersey, advocates say. By the middle of next year, it's estimated that the state's law will have saved more than 8 billion bags, at food stores alone, from entering the cycle, and eventually waterways and landfills.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Where Does All Your Recycling Wind Up?

Ever wonder what actually happens to all the plastic you dutifully toss in the recycling bin? Kit Chellel, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg, set out to answer that very question. And what he found out is…well we’re not gonna give it away.

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