Tag: plastics

A solar-powered rubbish-eating boat? The vessel chomping plastic waste out of the sea

Guided by floating barriers, the Interceptor has already stopped more than 143,000lbs of rubbish from entering the Pacific from one LA river By Katharine Gammon On an overcast June morning, I step from the rubber-sided Zodiac boat on to a floating barge at the mouth of Ballona Creek, where it meets Santa Monica Bay on the… Read More A solar-powered rubbish-eating boat? The vessel chomping plastic waste out of the sea

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3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics

Globally, over 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water infrastructure, increasing reliance on stored water that may contain microplastics. Microplastics may be the most significant environmental and health contaminant on Earth. Particles ranging in size from the 1/1 to 1/1,000th the width of human hair have been found virtually everywhere, including on the summit… Read More 3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics

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Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas

Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 and sent more than 810,000 tonnes abroad, according to analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian. Leana Hosea The UK followed close behind, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network. It exported more than 675,000 tonnes, its highest level… Read More Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas

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Japan’s 450°C solution to tackle the rising challenges of plastic waste

With the use of its cutting-edge HICOP (High-efficiency Oil Production) technology, Japanese firm Environment Energy hopes to process 20,000 tons of plastic per year and turn plastic trash into crude oil. The enormous environmental hazards associated with the accumulation of plastic wastes is no longer unknown to the public. Globally, as much as one million… Read More Japan’s 450°C solution to tackle the rising challenges of plastic waste

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How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution

With lagoons once choked by rubbish, pressure from the appalled community led the government to ban certain single-use products Prianka Srinivasan For generations, the people of Erakor village in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu would pass their time swimming in the local lagoon. Ken Andrew, a local chief, remembers diving in its depths when he was a… Read More How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution

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The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. Here’s where a lot of it ends up

Loji Beach, nestled in a bay in West Java, is especially prone to plastic pile-ups. Ocean currents sweep the waste into the bay where it gets trapped in and ends up on the sand. “There’s no real community living here. There’s not a proper road to the beach, so there’s no local people cleaning it… Read More The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. Here’s where a lot of it ends up

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Ocean justice

Chris Armstrong ; Antje Scharenberg Treasure trove or rubbish dump? In either case, oceans are being spoiled. Concepts from ‘mare liberum’ to ‘common heritage’ don’t safeguard the blue planet’s largest frontier from escalated seabed mining, industrialised fishing and waste disposal, nor global inequality and racialized violence. Could a democratic World Ocean Authority be the answer?… Read More Ocean justice

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Recycled plastic can be more toxic and is no fix for pollution, Greenpeace warns

Recycling plastic can make it more toxic and should not be considered a solution to the pollution crisis, Greenpeace has warned before the latest round of negotiations for an international plastics treaty. “Plastics are inherently incompatible with a circular economy,” the global environmental network said in a report that brings together research showing recycled plastics are more… Read More Recycled plastic can be more toxic and is no fix for pollution, Greenpeace warns

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