Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

EU Urged To Mandate Microplastic Filters In New Washing Machines

The European Union (EU) has been urged to mandate the fitting of filters in all new washing machines to tackle the growing issue of microplastic pollution. The call has been made in a new whitepaper, which has been delivered to European Commission members ahead of an EU initiative to tackle microplastics, due to be published next month.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

New Report Warns About Human Health Risks From PVC Pipes Used in Drinking Water Systems

A report released Tuesday by a coalition of U.S. environmental advocacy groups warned of the health risks of PVC plastic and urged public officials against using the material in community drinking water pipes. PVC is made with vinyl chloride, the same hazardous material released in the fiery train derailment that triggered a public health and environmental crisis in East Palestine, Ohio. It's also a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Biden Administration to Curb Toxic Pollutants From Chemical Plants

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed a new regulation to significantly reduce hazardous air pollutants from chemical plants, a move that environmental advocates predicted would significantly reduce the health risks to people living near industrial sites. The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule calls on chemical plants to monitor and reduce the amount of toxic pollutants released in the air, including the carcinogens ethylene oxide, an ingredient in antifreeze, and chloroprene, which is used to make the rubber in footwear.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Former DPNR Commissioner Is Senior Advisor for Beyond Plastics

Virgin Islander Dawn Henry has been tapped by Beyond Plastics to serve as its new senior adviser. In that role, Henry, a former commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, will help guide Beyond Plastics in its mission to reduce plastic pollution through education, outreach, and civic engagement.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

The Growing Oil and Gas Industry Means More Incidents Like East Palestine.

There’s a common thread linking many of the high-profile chemical spills that have made headlines across the country lately: the oil and gas industry. Philadelphia residents were on high alert after the Trinseo latex plant 20 miles from the city released at least 8,100 gallons of acrylic polymers into a tributary for the Delaware River on March 24. Those acrylic polymers were made up of compounds known as butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate; all are produced from fossil fuels.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

UDC to Host ‘Plastics: Damning the Delaware’ Presentation on April 6

Creshkoff began checking glass-clad buildings in lower Manhattan in 1997 for bird collisions. The effort was adopted by NYC Audubon and is now known as Project Safe Flight. A vegetarian for ethical reasons since age 10 and full vegan since 2019 to reduce her carbon footprint, Judith Enck’s Beyond Plastic Pollution class inspired her to turn her skills to fight the prevalence of plastic.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Why Big Oil and the Chemical Lobby Are Blasting Us With “Advanced” Recycling Ads

The disturbing reports on plastic pollution just keep coming: toxic plastic waste is filling up our oceans, our landfills, and even our bodies. But if you’ve seen a recent surge of ads from the companies that produce this garbage, you might be forgiven for thinking they’re working on solutions to the problem. “America’s Plastic Makers” is the brand promoting a slew of ads about a new “solution” to plastic pollution that experts and evidence say creates new climate and environmental harms, and doesn’t actually work. It’s called “advanced” or chemical recycling, and refers to various processes for repurposing plastic waste.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Bio-Based Plastic Won’t Solve the Plastic Problem

If you order takeout in Los Angeles and your meal comes with a compostable fork made from PLA—a common bio-based plastic—you’re not supposed to toss the utensil in your curbside compost bin. The city doesn’t want any products or packaging labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable,” saying that the materials don’t actually break down quickly enough even at commercial composting facilities. The fork also can’t go in a recycling bin, since it can contaminate other materials. And if it ends up in a landfill or the ocean, it may last as long as if it had been made from regular plastic.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Water Scare Latest Attack on Pa. By Plastics | Will Bunch Newsletter

“This has been a very bad month for people in Pennsylvania who want to drink clean water and breathe clean air,” Judith Enck, a former regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama years who now teaches at Bennington College and heads a group called Beyond Plastics, told me on Monday.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Voters Express Concern About Plastic Pollution, Strongly Support Mitigation Proposals

Recent polling conducted by Data for Progress demonstrates that likely voters are concerned about plastic pollution and its impact on our environment and oceans, and feel as though they are doing what they can do individually to combat pollution. However, voters believe that the plastics industry has the greatest responsibility and the most opportunity to combat plastic pollution, but lack confidence that the industry will enact change without standards for accountability. Consequently, we find strong support for a variety of measures that would reduce plastic pollution.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

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.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Former EPA Official Calls Agency’s Response in East Palestine Too Weak

After the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, officials decided to burn 100,000 gallons of highly toxic vinyl chloride, rather than risk a catastrophic explosion. While the company has absorbed much of the blame for what happened in East Palestine, many have criticized the response from government. That includes Judith Enck, a former regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration, and head of the environmental group .

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

Plant Explosion Leaves Town With Fear of Lead Exposure and Few Answers

Nearly a month after a metal-manufacturing plant exploded in the Cleveland suburb of Oakwood Village, Ohio, community health advocates say they still don’t have clear answers to the urgent question of whether the blast released harmful levels of lead into the area. They’re also questioning why those living and working near the blast weren’t quickly informed that lead in the facility could pose a risk.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

‘Wakeup Call’: Braintree Chemical Fire, Ohio Derailment Show Need for Stronger Emergency Planning, Experts Say

Government officials don’t pay enough attention to preventing accidents due to a lack of funding devoted to such efforts, said Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator now president of environmental advocacy group Beyond Plastics. And communication around evacuation plans is an issue across the nation, she said. Almost 124 million people, or 39 percent of the US population, live within 3 miles of a hazardous facility, according to the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

EPA Drops the Ball in East Palestine

The people of East Palestine, Ohio were left in the dark about toxic chemical risks in the wake of the fiery train derailment, says Judith Enck, a former regional administrator of the EPA. Her commentary calls out the EPA’s delayed and weak response and urges the agency to take steps to regain the public’s trust.

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Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie

The Plastic Water Bottle Industry Is Booming. Here’s Why That’s a Huge Problem

The bottled water industry is a juggernaut. More than 1 million bottles of water are sold every minute around the world and the industry shows no sign of slowing down, according to a new report. Global sales of bottled water are expected to nearly double by 2030. But the industry’s enormous global success comes at a huge environmental, climate and social cost, according to the report published Thursday by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, which analyzes the industry’s global impacts.

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