By Ryan Johnson Plastic makes up nearly 70% of all ocean litter, putting countless aquatic species at risk. But there is a tiny bit of hope—a teeny, tiny one to be precise: Scientists have discovered that microscopic marine microbes are eating away at the plastic, causing trash to slowly break down. To conduct the study, […]

By Christopher Thompson New documentary will premiere on HBO this June Leonardo DiCaprio highlights the various efforts around the world to curb climate change in the trailer for the new documentary Ice on Fire. The film was directed by Leila Conners and will premiere June 11th on HBO. DiCaprio produced the film and serves as […]

By Ryan Johnson CarbonLITE is launching a new category of PET plastic—100 percent post-consumer, ocean-diverted plastic. As part of its closed loop philosophy, CarbonLITE Industries, a global recycler and producer of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET), is launching a new category: 100 percent post-consumer, ocean-diverted plastic. CarbonLITE’s newest offering will replace virgin materials for food, […]

By Ryan Johnson A new report from the Center for International Environmental Law has examined the environmental impact of plastic production and incineration. It found that the plastic lifecycle will add 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere this year, equal to the emissions from 189 500 megawatt coal-fired power plants. Emissions […]

By Christopher Thompson Hudson River Park has gotten about half of its tenants to sign onto an agreement to scrap single-use plastics. Manhattan’s west side park has launched a program aimed to reduce single-use plastics. The Hudson River Park Trust announced a new plan — “Park Over Plastic” — to reduce plastic pollution in the […]

By Christopher Thompson After the release of alarming new figures showing the extent of plastic pollution on Italian beaches, and the sad news that another whale has washed up in Italy with a stomach full of plastic, we look at what Italy is doing to clean up its coastline. Environmental campaigners in Italy raised the […]

By Christopher Thompson Adidas is using plastic recovered from the seas to make shoes, jerseys and football kits With eight million tonnes of plastic dumped annually into the sea, the world is faced with the grim prospect of more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050. To avert this environmental calamity, several voluntary groups […]

By Ryan Johnson Malaysia, which has become the dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste, will send back non-recyclable plastic scrap to the developed countries that sent it there, its environment minister said on Tuesday. Malaysia last year became the leading alternative destination for plastic scrap after China banned imports of such waste, disrupting the […]

By Christopher Thompson In a twist, the investors include Chinese companies interested in having access to wastepaper or bottles. The halt on China’s imports of wastepaper and plastic that has disrupted U.S. recycling programs has also spurred investment in American plants that process recyclables. U.S. paper mills are expanding capacity to take advantage of a […]

By Christopher Thompson US reportedly opposed deal, which follows concerns that villages in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia had ‘turned into dumpsites’ Almost all the world’s countries have agreed on a deal aimed at restricting shipments of hard-to-recycle plastic waste to poorer countries, the United Nations announced on Friday. Exporting countries – including the US – […]