July 2024 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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Progress in packaging sustainability: slow but steady
Posted on July 26, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingA new report from Rabobank examining the progress made on achieving more sustainability in the plastic packaging industry warns that companies are finding it challenging to meet the commitments made in the past. Source: Progress in packaging sustainability: slow but...
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Biden endorses ‘ambitious’ plastics agenda, reductions in virgin production -USA
Posted on July 26, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations, Plastic RecyclingAn 83-page report from the Biden administration is the most detailed federal government policy statement yet on addressing plastics in the environment. Source: Biden endorses ‘ambitious' plastics agenda, reductions in virgin production | Plastics News The report also highlighted environmental...
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AORA raises concern over FOGO contamination – Australia
Posted on July 25, 2024 by DrRossH in Landfills and DisposalWithout a collective approach to FOGO contamination challenges, organic waste is at risk of being sent back to landfill. Source: AORA raises concern over FOGO contamination - Waste Management Review The rate of contamination (non-organic material in the FOGO feedstock...
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iQRenew opens post-consumer soft plastic recycling plant – Australia
Posted on July 25, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingAn advanced mechanical recycling facility, purpose-built for processing post-consumer soft plastic, has officially opened in NSW, with capacity to process 15,000 tonnes of material annually. Source: iQRenew opens post-consumer soft plastic recycling plant - PKN Packaging News QRenew says the plant...
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Breaking It Down: The Chemical Recycling/Mass Balance Debate
Posted on July 24, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingProponents say mass balance negates the need to duplicate billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure to keep recycled and virgin materials separate throughout the value chain, thus enabling scale up. Opponents say making recycled claims on what can’t be...
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Britain to ban plastic wet wipes in world first after Mail campaign
Posted on July 19, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsThe move represents a victory for the Daily Mail which has been highlighting the dangers of plastic pollution, including wet wipes, since the award-winning 'Banish the Bags' campaign of 2008. Source: Britain to ban plastic wet wipes in world...
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Cigarette butts, plastic fragments dominate beach cleanups – USA
Posted on July 19, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsCigarette butts were the top item collected at beach cleanups by volunteers during 2023, according to Surfrider Foundation. Source: Cigarette butts, plastic fragments dominate beach cleanups | Plastics News
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New $40m soft plastics recycling plant underway – PKN Packaging News
Posted on July 18, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingSource: New $40m soft plastics recycling plant underway - PKN Packaging News The Australian Government has invested $20 million in the initiative, which will see some 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics diverted from South Australian landfills every year. The...
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UK government collects GBP 276 million in plastic packaging tax in scheme’s first year | Sustainable Plastics
Posted on July 9, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingThe figure is GBP 41 million more than the Treasury predicted after it forecast receipts of GBP 235 million from an estimated 20,000 manufacturers and importers for 2022 to 2023. Source: UK government collects GBP 276 million in plastic packaging...
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Germany moves towards new ‘plastics tax’ | Sustainable Plastics
Posted on July 9, 2024 by DrRossH in General, Plastic RecyclingFollowing in the footsteps of countries such as Spain and the United Kingdom, Germany is now also introducing a ‘plastics tax’ of its own. Source: Germany moves towards new ‘plastics tax’ | Sustainable Plastics The following taxes, based on calculations of...
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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?