plastic

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US Marine Animals Are Drowning in Plastic—Literally

Report mentions 1.8K cases of animals consuming or being entangled in plastic since 2009

(Newser) - Plastic pollution is taking a disastrous toll on marine animals in the US, particularly those threatened with extinction, according to a new report . It tells of 1,792 cases in which 40 different species of animals consumed or were entangled in plastic since 2009. Of those, 88% involved animals that...

&#39;Pac-Men&#39; Enzymes May Help Solve a Major Problem
Lab Breakthrough May Help
Fight on Plastic Waste
new study
Sep 29, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Lab Breakthrough May Help Fight on Plastic Waste

'Pac-Men' enzymes engineered to feast on plastic

(Newser) - Plastic waste is a large and ever-growing problem around the world. Now, researchers say they're closing in on a potentially game-changing solution that could be commercially available in a year or two, reports the Guardian . Scientists have engineered a "super-enzyme" that breaks down plastic six times faster than...

Spirits Industry First: a Paper Bottle

Diageo announces Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky will have plastic-free packaging starting next spring

(Newser) - Tired: drinking out of a paper bag. Wired: drinking out of a paper bottle. Starting next year, you'll be able to do the latter, thanks to a spirits industry first. Reuters reports that Diageo—maker of such brands as Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, and Smirnoff, among others—has teamed up...

Scientists: It's Safe to Go Back to Reusable Containers

Experts remind consumers of the environmental harm done by single-use plastics

(Newser) - With reusable containers giving way to single-use plastics during the pandemic, consumers are receiving expert reassurance that it doesn't need to be that way. More than 100 scientists from 18 nations issued a statement saying that reusable containers do not increase the risk of transmitting the coronavirus, the Guardian ...

Exhibit on Ocean Pollution Leads to Big Shock for One Woman

German woman spots mixtape she lost 25 years ago—and it still works

(Newser) - If you're in your late 30s or older, you likely remember the unique joy that accompanied creating what we olds call a "mixtape." A German woman is now reliving that elation after she stumbled upon a mixtape she lost 25 years ago while on vacation in Spain....

Here's Why Coca-Cola Won't Ditch Plastic Bottles

Soft drink behemoth says it's because of consumer demand

(Newser) - Coca-Cola apparently believes "the customer is always right"—so much so that the soft drink giant is refusing to stop producing its plastic soda bottles. The company, which the BBC notes was deemed the "most polluting brand" in a global audit of plastic waste last year, churns...

Momoa Gets Snarky With Pratt Over Water Bottle, Apologizes

Aquaman says sorry after calling Star-Lord out over the plastic bottle

(Newser) - Chris Pratt posted a photo of himself in workout clothes, holding a plastic water bottle, on Instagram Tuesday to plug his partnership with Amazon showing customers "everything I use for my workouts," but one of his fellow stars took issue with that aforementioned bottle. "bro I love...

Hyatt Won't Put Small Bottles in Bathrooms

Hotel chain to reduce use of plastic water bottles at meetings

(Newser) - Hyatt is the latest hotel company to announce it’s removing small bottles from its bathrooms in an effort to reduce waste. Hyatt is shifting to large, multi-use bottles for shampoo, conditioner, bath gel and lotion at its 875 hotels worldwide. The Chicago-based company says the transition will be complete...

Lego Tests New Way to Recycle Bricks

Unwanted bricks will be donated to US nonprofit

(Newser) - Lego is looking to keep its plastic bricks out of the trash. The Danish toymaker is testing a way for customers to ship their unwanted bricks back and get them into the hands of other kids. It said Tuesday that customers in the US can print out a mailing label...

Investor Says Ocean Cleaning Boom Is Working

He plans to send another system to Pacific plastic patch

(Newser) - After a series of setbacks, a system for catching plastic floating in the Pacific between California and Hawaii is now working, its Dutch inventor says. Boyan Slat, a university dropout who founded the Ocean Cleanup nonprofit, announced Wednesday that the floating boom is skimming up waste ranging in size from...

All That Ocean Plastic? It Has an Unexpected Source

It doesn't all come from land-based sources

(Newser) - In 1984, 2009, and 2018, researchers made the trek to Inaccessible Island, which sits between Argentina and South Africa in the South Atlantic. They describe it as a "remote, uninhabited island ... that has a very high macrodebris load"—and that debris is what they were there for. In...

UN: Microplastics in Water Not a Major Health Worry

'Just because we're ingesting them doesn't mean we have a risk to human health'

(Newser) - The World Health Organization says the levels of microplastics in drinking water don't appear to be risky, but that research has been spotty and more is needed into their effects on the environment and health, the AP reports. Microplastics are created when man-made materials break down into tiny particles...

Microplastics Abound in Arctic Snow
Microplastics
Abound in
Arctic Snow
new study
Aug 15, 2019 4:06 AM CDT

Microplastics Abound in Arctic Snow

Scientists say air is carrying particles to remotest corners of the world

(Newser) - Scientists say they've found an abundance of tiny plastic particles in Arctic snow, indicating that so-called microplastics are being sucked into the atmosphere and carried long distances to some of the remotest corners of the planet. The researchers examined snow collected from sites in the Arctic, northern Germany, the...

McDonald's Opts for Paper Straws That Can't Be Recycled

At least, not yet

(Newser) - McDonald's has ditched its plastic straws in favor of paper ones in the UK and Ireland —there's just one itty-bitty, teenie-weenie little problem: The paper straws can't be recycled. The fast-food company has called the new paper straws "eco-friendly," but, though the paper is...

5.6K Hotels to Take 'Next Logical Step' for Environment

InterContinental Hotels Group will phase out mini-toiletries in single-use plastic bottles

(Newser) - The owner of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels vowed in October to stop using plastic straws by the end of 2019. Now it's on to "the next logical step," per the New York Times . InterContinental Hotels Group has become the first global hotel brand to say...

New Trump Slogan: 'Make Straws Great Again'

And you can buy them for $15

(Newser) - President Trump's reelection campaign has a new slogan—or it's mentioned in an email, anyway. "Make Straws Great Again," reads a Friday missive from Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. The email takes a stab at paper straws (they "don't work") before making its...

24-Year-Old Relaunches Device to Trap Ocean Plastic

After 4 months of repair, Boyan Slat's floating boom is back at it in the Pacific Ocean

(Newser) - A floating device designed to catch plastic waste has been redeployed in a second attempt to clean up a huge island of trash swirling in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. Boyan Slat, the 24-year-old creator of the Ocean Cleanup project, announced on Twitter that a 2,000-foot-long floating...

Everyone Wants These Bags. That Wasn't the Plan

Embarrassing messages on Vancouver store's plastic bags meant to stop bag use, not spur it

(Newser) - The plastic bags given out at East West Market were supposed to shame customers out of using them . Instead, they've become collectors' items of sorts, because customers think they're irreverently cool. Management had hoped the bags at the Vancouver store—designed with what the New York Times calls...

Other Countries Are Doing It. 'Canada Will Be One of Them'

Single-use plastics will be banned as early as 2021

(Newser) - Canada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. Trudeau said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags, and straws. "As early as 2021,...

When You Eat and Drink, There's a Hidden Ingredient

A study says we're consuming a lot of microplastics

(Newser) - You're ingesting a secret ingredient when you eat, drink, and breathe: microplastics. The question is, does it matter? A new study estimates that the average adult ingests at least 98,000 plastic particles annually, the Seattle Times reports. The particles apparently come from various sources including shellfish, sugar, salt,...

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