A new Duke University analysis puts a striking price tag on America’s plastic problem, estimating that production, use, and disposal saddle the country with up to $1.1 trillion in hidden social costs each year. Most of that burden falls on public health,[...]
Tag: Plastics
Commentary |
Point: Why We Should Ban Single-Use Plastics
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: Single-Use Plastic Bans Make No Sense.” Plastics are woven into every aspect of our lives, but what was once the poster child for convenience is fast becoming a pariah product. The era of single-use plastic must[...]
Commentary |
Counterpoint: Single-Use Plastic Bans Make No Sense
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Point: Why We Should Ban Single-Use Plastics.” Nobody wants plastic pollution. That doesn’t mean poorly considered and heavy-handed governmental actions are the solution. This includes misguided single-use plastic bans (e.g., bans on plastic straws and single-use plastic[...]
Curio |
How the 3-arrows ‘recycling’ symbol turned into a tool for greenwashing
That small triangle of arrows stamped on nearly every plastic container feels so familiar it’s easy to forget it hasn’t always been there. In fact, it only dates back to 1988, when the plastics industry introduced the resin identification code as a[...]
News |
Microplastics Are Infiltrating Your Brain. What Are The Effects?
Microplastics — the tiny plastic fragments now found from mountaintops to ocean floors — have also been detected in human brains. A recent study suggested their presence has increased over time, but scientists caution the evidence is too limited to know if[...]
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News |
What the U.S. wants to achieve at the international plastic treaty talks
Global talks are underway in Geneva to hammer out a treaty to end plastic pollution, and the U.S. is at the table — but not on board with every idea. While backing measures to improve waste management, recycling, and product design, the[...]
News |
Study Reveals The Shocking Amount of Plastic We Breathe in Every Day
We’ve long worried about plastic in our oceans and food, but now it’s the air that’s raising alarms — especially indoors, where most of us spend nearly all our time. A new study reveals we could be inhaling over 70,000 microplastic particles[...]
News |
Malaysia will stop accepting U.S. plastic waste, creating a dilemma for California
Malaysia is closing its doors to U.S. plastic waste—and California, one of the top exporters, will feel the shift. Starting July 1, the country will block imports from nations that haven’t signed the Basel Convention, an international treaty on waste. The U.S.[...]
News |
The misleading accounting behind your ‘recycled’ plastic
A complex accounting method used by plastic producers is under fire for overstating recycled content in products. Mondelez, maker of Triscuits, is using a system called “mass balance” to claim up to 50% of its packaging comes from recycled materials, even though[...]
Commentary |
The plastic recycling myth and our very real crisis
Plastic used to be a convenience. Now it’s a contaminant — not just in our oceans and landfills, but in our bodies and even our brains. This Earth Month, Grove Collaborative CEO Jeff Yurcisin makes a clear-eyed case: recycling isn’t saving us,[...]
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News |
Microplastic pollution found “pervasive” in Antarctic snow
Recent research highlights the troubling discovery of high levels of microplastics in Antarctic snow, challenging the notion that even the planet’s most remote regions are spared from plastic pollution. A new study published in _Science of the Total Environment_ shows concentrations reaching[...]
News |
Microplastics found in human brains in high levels
New research has confirmed what many feared—plastic isn’t just in our environment, it’s in our brains. A study published in _Nature Medicine_ found nanoplastics in every human brain sample analyzed, with concentrations rising over time. Brains from dementia patients contained significantly more[...]
Commentary |
Listen: How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences
Plastics are everywhere, and that’s part of the problem. While 400 million tons of plastic are manufactured each year, 57 million tons end up as pollution. Attempts to create a binding treaty on plastic pollution recently stalled, as major oil producers resist[...]
News |
A Single Tea Bag Could Release Billions of Microplastics Into The Body
Research is revealing your tea bag may hold more than flavor—some of them release billions of microplastics into your cup. Researchers in Spain reveal these particles can even reach human cell nuclei, raising urgent questions about health and pollution. A comforting ritual[...]
Curio |
Why Recycling Isn’t the Answer to the Plastic Pollution Problem
Recycling is a juggernaut. It has been so ingrained as the solution to waste management that we’ve failed to recognize that it’s just not very effective. For example, in a typical recycling program, only 15% of plastic actually gets collected for recycling.[...]
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