"Very little of the plastic we put in the recycling bin actually ends up being reused," Duke University researcher Diana Zoie said. "Recycling just delays plastic disposal and pollution. Any comprehensive solution needs to target virgin plastic production and use."
"The majority of companies made no connection in publicly available reports between reducing their carbon footprint and reducing their plastic footprint, particularly in terms of reducing the production and use of virgin plastic," Diana said.
Do voluntary corporate pledges help reduce plastic pollution? (November 2022) Duke University
Summary:
A new analysis finds that while 72 percent of the top 300 companies on the Fortune 500 list have made voluntary pledges to reduce their plastic footprints, most are overwhelmingly focused on downstream waste-reduction strategies centered on recycling and packaging rather than on finding ways to reduce their use of virgin plastic, which is a main cause of the global plastic pollution problem. #Plastics#PlasticsCrisis#Recycling#CarbonFootprint#pollution https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221129165900.htm
Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work (May 2022, The Atlantic)
"The problem with recycling plastic lies not with the concept or process but with the material itself."
"toxicity risks in recycled plastic prohibit “the vast majority of plastic products and packaging produced” from being recycled into food-grade packaging."
"plastic recycling is simply not economical. Recycled plastic costs more than new plastic because collecting, sorting, transporting, and reprocessing plastic waste is exorbitantly expensive."
"Chemical recycling is not viable. It has failed and will continue to fail for the same down-to-earth, real-world reasons that the conventional mechanical recycling of plastics has consistently failed. Worse yet, its toxic emissions could cause new harm to our environment, climate, and health."
Story at the Atlantic by Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator, the president of Beyond Plastics, and a visiting professor at Bennington College; and Jan Dell, a chemical engineer and the founder of the Last Beach Cleanup. #Plastics#Recycling#PlasticsCrisis#Pollution
J'ai tenté avec de la UHU Plast de recoller des morceaux coupés sous le plateau (il y a le nombril du moulage), mais au final ça restait mou et j'ai sorti l'air chaud à 200°C pour former ça.
C'est assez moche car j'ai commencé par vouloir faire ça avec du papier autour, mauvaise idée car des fibres restent. Mais bon, c'est suffisant, et ça tient.
Scientists may have found a way to make biodegradable plastic from algae, a development that could potentially diminish the harmful effects of microplastics that linger for thousands of years. ABC News reports: https://flip.it/mizbsY #Science#Plastics#Environment
Just got groceries delivery today and I realised just how much soft #plastics packaging are still being used everywhere even for things that don't need it like bread. Soft plastics aren't #recyclable everywhere and most will surely end up in a landfill. How is this OK?
New research from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, and the University of Toronto in Canada, estimates up to 11 million metric tons of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor. The article, "Plastics in the deep sea—A global estimate of the ocean floor reservoir," was published in Deep Sea Research Part I:...
Countries remain divided over whether a plastics treaty should seek to restrict single-use #plastics, ban chemicals that raise health concerns, or limit production of plastics? Plastics production could triple by 2060, making the task more urgent https://buff.ly/3UoYYic#petchem
By the age of six, many children already have negative feelings about the word “chemical”.
Ask the average person what a chemical is, and they’re likely to tell you it’s something bad. Products advertise themselves as “chemical-free” – an assertion that makes no scientific sense (since everything in the world is made of chemicals) but resonates with the consumer."
56 Companies Responsible for Half of Global Plastic Pollution That Researchers Could Trace
A new study on plastic pollution in 84 countries has linked half of branded plastic pollution to only 56 firms, with about 24% of the branded plastic waste analyzed connected to only five companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria.
⚠️ "Half of all plastics ever manufactured were produced in the last two decades, and production continues to rise at an alarming rate, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons in 2015. "
👉 "..the amount of plastics is expected to double by 2050, with irreversible pollution on land, air and waters, including the ocean. "
👉 Russia, Iran, Cuba, Saudi Arabia are holding hostage the U.N. Treaty against plastics
The exponential increase in plastic production from a mere two million tons in 1950 to over 450 million tons annually today represents a dire environmental crisis requiring immediate action.
"The production of plastic, which is made from #FossilFuels, is greenhouse gas-intensive.
By the middle of the century, global #emissions from #plastic production could triple to account for one-fifth of the Earth’s remaining carbon budget, an analysis has found.
The report was released before the 4th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC4) meeting for a global plastics treaty set to start next week in Ottawa, Canada."
"We’re in the midst of an energy transition. Renewable power and electric vehicles are getting cheaper, the grid is getting greener, and oil and gas companies are getting nervous.
That’s why the #FossilFuel giants are looking towards petrochemicals, and plastics in particular, as their next major growth market."
And of course:
"fossil fuel and petrochemical companies are relying on emerging economies in Asia and Africa to drive growth."
I recently had the misfortune to travel past Shell's huge new plastic factory at Pittsburgh PA, fed by ethane from nearby fracking. And:
"Saudi Arabian Oil, the world’s largest oil company, plans by 2030 to send about a third of its oil to chemical plants, mostly to be used for #plastics.
#Chevron, whose CEO has said that no large-scale fuel refinery will ever again be built in the U.S., is constructing two major chemical plants —one in Texas and one in Qatar."
Ocean floor a 'reservoir' of plastic pollution, study finds (phys.org)
New research from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, and the University of Toronto in Canada, estimates up to 11 million metric tons of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor. The article, "Plastics in the deep sea—A global estimate of the ocean floor reservoir," was published in Deep Sea Research Part I:...