By contributing to the development of chronic disease and death, a group of hormone-disruptive plastic chemicals is costing the US health care system billions—over $249 billion in 2018 alone, a new study found. “The real contribution of this work is helping the public understand how much of the human health threat of endocrine-disrupting chemicals is […]
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against food and beverage giant PepsiCo Inc. accusing the company of harming the public and the environment with its single-use plastic packaging. Ms. James’s office announced the “historic and groundbreaking” lawsuit in a Nov. 15 press release, after PepsiCo’s single-use plastics were allegedly found floating […]
Thousands of ambulance staff strike, as the blame game between the health secretary and union bosses escalates. Concerns grow as Scotland debates new gender laws, which lower the age for people who wish to identify as a different gender. As researchers say there’s no such thing as microplastic-free food, we ask how much plastic is in […]
WASHINGTON—Two substances in the saliva of wax worms—moth larvae that eat wax made by bees to build honeycombs—readily break down a common type of plastic, researchers said on Tuesday, in a potential advance in the global fight against plastic pollution. The researchers said the two enzymes identified in the caterpillar saliva were found to rapidly […]
Millions of tons of plastic wind up in the ocean every year, killing plants and animals. To combat the problem, new devices are being used or tested worldwide to trap plastic trash in rivers and smaller streams before it can get into the ocean.
PENANG, Malaysia—Malaysia has sent back 150 containers of plastic waste to 13 mainly rich countries since the third quarter last year, with the environment minister warning on Monday that those who want to make the country a rubbish bin of the world can “dream on.” Shipments of unwanted rubbish have been rerouted to Southeast Asia […]
NEW YORK—Single-use plastics are a big part of everyday life, and more people are now aware of their environmental impact. A week-long pop-up museum dedicated to plastic opened its doors in Soho, New York on World Ocean Day. The Museum of Plastic highlights the environmental impact of plastics and what life could look like if […]
A sperm whale was found dead on an Italian beach with plastic in its stomach. The carcass of the young animal—estimated to be seven years old—washed up on the beach at Cefalu, a popular tourist destination in Sicily, on May 17. Grim images posted Facebook show the dead whale lying on the beach, its stomach […]
FORT MYERS BEACH, Florida—A rare deep-water dolphin stranded on a Florida beach and later euthanized had a stomach full of trash. Biologists said they found two plastic bags and a shredded balloon during a necropsy of the young rough-toothed dolphin after it washed ashore in Fort Myers Beach earlier this week. Animal experts said the […]
A decades-long mystery behind Garfield phones appearing on the far western shores of France has finally been solved. For more than 30 years, novelty landline phones in the shape of the orange tabby cat, featured in Garfield comics, books, movies, and television, have washed-up on the beaches of northern Finistere and left local beach cleaners guessing […]
A dead whale that washed ashore in Indonesia on Nov. 19, had a large lump of plastic in its stomach, officials announced on Nov. 20. Rescuers from Wakatobi National Park found the rotting carcass of a 31-foot sperm whale late Monday near the park after environmental activists alerted them that villagers had begun to butcher […]
European Union lawmakers have voted to ban a range of single-use plastic items in a bid to tackle waterway pollution. Members of the European Parliament approved draft legislation on Oct. 24 that aims to prevent plastic items such as straws, cotton swabs, and disposable plastic plates and cutlery from ending up in our water and causing harm. […]
Police battle rifles in Paraguay were quietly swapped for plastic and wood replicas, only spotted during a weapons inspection after the real ones began to appear on the local black market. Originally, Paraguay media said that 42 rifles had been swapped, but the Interior Ministry later referred to 44 automatic rifles. National media called the […]
Local governments across New South Wales are looking for ways to tackle the recycling challenges following China’s import restrictions on recycled materials. However, uptake of funding offered to improve recycling across the state has been slow. In a workshop attended by local government representatives on July 20, NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton called on councils to […]
Local communities in India are helping save the ocean. A group of farmers-turned-divers shoulder two important tasks. They guide tourists to enjoy scuba-diving along the local coastline, where there is rich marine biodiversity. They also pull plastic waste from the sea. It’s part of a U.N. program to promote marine conservation.The program links conservation to […]
