Collaborate Disseminate
Scientists have described a new disease called plasticosis, which is directly caused by – you guessed it – plastic waste in the environment. While the disease has so far only been identified in the digestive tracts of seabirds, the scale of the problem… Continue reading “Plasticosis:” New disease in birds highlights dangers of microplastics
Greenhouse gases and plastic waste are two of the biggest environmental problems the world faces today. A new reactor from Cambridge is designed to tackle both at once, converting CO2 and used plastic bottles into useful materials, powered entirely by … Continue reading Solar reactor converts both CO2 and plastic waste into useful products
While we know much of the plastic waste we generate winds up in bodies of water, what happens to it from there is still a large unknown. A new study documenting the accumulation of microplastic particles on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea has shed s… Continue reading Amount of microplastics on Mediterranean Sea floor triple in 20 years
Plastics are made to last, which is great while they’re being used but not so great after they’re discarded. Now chemists at the University of Konstanz have developed a new kind of plastic that has all the durability of regular plastic, but biodegrades… Continue reading Chemical “breaking points” let new type of plastic biodegrade in days
The more scientists hone their techniques when it comes to studying plastic pollution, the more we understand about the way it moves through the environment, and it can often make for some uncomfortable reading. Researchers in Auckland have used advanc… Continue reading 3 million bottles worth of microplastics falling on Auckland each year
Loose plastic bags can be a hassle to separate and store for recycling, plus they may blow away and become litter if they’re left outside at the recycling depot. The Clear Drop SPC is made to help, by compressing loads of your bags into compact bricks…. Continue reading Clear Drop aims to streamline recycling by pressing bags into bricks
If you’ve ever been turning over your compost heap and found months-old “compostable” plastic items that were still mostly intact – well, you’re not alone. New research states that 60% of such plastics don’t fully biodegrade in home composting systems…. Continue reading Study shows majority of “home compostable” plastics don’t fully degrade
Plastic waste is one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time, and sorting different types makes recycling tricky. Now, engineers at MIT have developed an effective new catalyst that breaks down mixed plastics into propane, which can the… Continue reading Efficient new catalyst converts mixed plastic waste into propane
In a bid to reduce the environmental burden associated with both the manufacturing and disposal of plastics, scientists have demonstrated a new upcycling technique that turns one common form of it into another. The team says they also have the means to… Continue reading Recycling breakthrough turns one common type of plastic into another
The Ocean Cleanup has a huge task on its hands in ridding the seas of plastic waste, but a sleek new video offers a compelling look at its latest plan of attack. The animation shows massive trash-collection barriers sweeping through the Great Pacific G… Continue reading Ocean Cleanup video artfully depicts demise of Great Pacific Garbage Patch