July 2023 - Page 2 of 2 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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Bag recycling stories show there’s a lot to learn by tracking recyclables USA
Posted on July 7, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations, Plastic RecyclingThere is a market for recyclables. But after years of trying, bags and flexible packaging are still struggling. Source: Bag recycling stories show there's a lot to learn by tracking recyclables | Plastics News In July 2020, I wrote about a...
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Chemical recycling struggles to prove itself to skeptics -USA
Posted on July 7, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingA splashy success story could sway skeptical investors and policymakers with a tangible example of how the technology can work, proving the case that it should get more funding and support. Source: Chemical recycling struggles to prove itself to skeptics...
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Beach cleaners notice big increase in plastic waste from merchant ships washing up on our shores – Australia
Posted on July 6, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsA citizen science project on the south-west Victorian coast works to uncover the origin of ocean-dumped bottles and plastics, and researchers say debris is on the rise. Source: Beach cleaners notice big increase in plastic waste from merchant ships washing...
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Pollution from plastic is a crisis and there is no simple solution
Posted on July 5, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingPlastic pollution is acknowledged as a global crisis. Some groups say recycling is not the solution. Source: Pollution from plastic is a crisis and there is no simple solution | The Star In a statement last month, Greenpeace USA said...
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New Zealand bans plastic bags for fresh produce in supermarkets
Posted on July 5, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSupermarkets already ban take-home bags but now thin bags used for vegetables will be outlawed too. Source: New Zealand bans plastic bags for fresh produce in supermarkets - BBC News The move, which took effect on Saturday, is part of...
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Soft plastics scheme: The basis of true EPR? – Australia
Posted on July 4, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingRobert Kelman unpacks the National Plastics Recycling Scheme and what it means for Australia's soft plastics. Source: Soft plastics scheme: The basis of true EPR? - Inside Waste There are questions the AFGC must address so all can work together to...
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How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter?