Anh Phan, Newcastle University In the adventure classic Back to the Future, Emmett “Doc” Brown uses energy generated from rubbish to power his DeLorean time machine. But while a time machine may still be some way off, the prospect of using rubbish for fuel isn’t…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor I wish we could say that there are only 88,000 tons of plastic in all of our oceans. But really, there is 88,000 tons of plastic in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Luckily, each journey of a thousand steps…
By Mac Slavo According to a new study, microplastic can escape from polluted waters via flying insects and contaminate our skies. The research revealed that these spreadable plastics could escape from polluted waters via flying insects and threaten birds and other animals which eat the insects….
Kate O’Neill, University of California, Berkeley A global plastic waste crisis is building, with major implications for health and the environment. Under its so-called “National Sword” policy, China has sharply reduced imports of foreign scrap materials. As a result, piles of plastic waste are building…
By Matthew J. Hoffman, Rochester Institute of Technology and Christy Tyler, Rochester Institute of Technology Awareness is rising worldwide about the scourge of ocean plastic pollution, from Earth Day 2018 events to the cover of National Geographic magazine. But few people realize that similar concentrations…
John Meeker, University of Michigan One of the main problems with plastics is that although we may only need them fleetingly – seconds in the case of microbeads in personal care products, or minutes as in plastic grocery bags – they stick around for hundreds…
By Phillip Schneider Last week, German clothing company Adidas announced its commitment to begin making their products with 100% recycled plastic by 2024. As reported by the Financial Times and picked up by CNN and other outlets, the company has pledged to fully “eliminate the use of ‘virgin’ plastic” in…
By Mariana Fuentes, Florida State University Have you ever considered that small pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters long, or smaller than a pencil eraser head, called microplastics, can affect large marine vertebrates like sea turtles? My research team first discovered this disturbing fact…
By ANH-USA Many Americans drink bottled water, the market for which has grown to $147 billion in recent years. Despite this rapid growth, there are emerging health concerns with drinking bottled water, notably from the chemicals used in the production of plastic which, as our friends…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor Scientists accidentally created a super enzyme that eats plastic for breakfast… Or did they? While the discovery is real and it was happenstance – it was in the process of engineering bacteria that the surprising, plastic-engulfing results were revealed. However, the enzyme doesn’t…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor The average person swallows up to 68,415 possibly dangerous plastic fibers a year, according to scientists who tested the particles that fall on our dinner plates. We have been reporting on the startling accounts detailing how we are now drinking plastic nanoparticles in…
By Carey Wedler This week, a study of eleven popular water bottle brands revealed microplastics are pervasive in packaging around the world. Though this may be unsurprising considering the widespread use of plastics, Coca-Cola admitted the possibility that their water products contain synthetic materials. The research was…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor WHO launches health review after microplastic fibers found twice as high in popular bottled water brands versus tap. Although people are grossly over-paying for shelf-stable, bottled water – they are gulping down double the plastic nanoparticles than they would if they drank tap,…
By Jason Erickson “In fact, terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution” – about four to 23 times more… More attention continues to be placed on determining any ill effects that microplastics (microbeads) are having on human health and the environment. Previous…
By Anna Hunt It can be quite surprising to find out that your facial scrub, body wash or toothpaste contain thousands of tiny plastic microbeads. What’s even more appalling is the fact that thousands of tons of these microbeads end up in the ocean every…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor Thanks to an Indonesian company with a penchant to clean up the world… The plastic pollution crisis is so bad, that it’s actually coming back to haunt us in the form of plastic nanoparticles now in our tap water. It’s simply ridiculous to…
By Jason Erickson More attention is finally being given to determining the ill effects that microplastics (microbeads) are having on human health and the environment. Previous concerns have been raised in everything from toothpaste to beer to the wider ecosystem where it was found to…
