General Archives - Plastic Waste Solutions
-
EU moves to exempt pallet wraps, straps from PPWR reuse targets – EU
Posted on February 26, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralThe draft delegated decision exempts pallet wrappings and straps used to stabilise and protect goods during transport from the 100% reuse obligation set out in Article 29(2) and (3) of the PPWR Source: EU moves to exempt pallet wraps, straps...
Continue reading this entry → -

Plastics and cigarette butts still dominate litter stats – Australia
Posted on February 6, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralCigarette butts, also made of plastic, are now the most littered individual item, representing 23.6 per cent of all counted litter. Source: Plastics and cigarette butts still dominate litter stats - Inside Waste The findings of the Clean Up Australia...
Continue reading this entry → -
Plastics treaty compromises still ‘yet to be understood’
Posted on January 23, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralGlobal tensions on display at the World Economic Forum in Davos will make it more difficult to finish a plastics treaty and could mean a less ambitious agreement. Source: Plastics treaty compromises still ‘yet to be understood’ - Plastics News Charlotte...
Continue reading this entry → -
Alpek closing Pennsylvania PET recycling plant as market conditions worsen – USA
Posted on January 23, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralRecycling industry leaders see the need for drastic changes as another major plastics recycling plant is falling victim to low prices and competition from virgin resin. Source: Alpek closing Pennsylvania PET recycling plant as market conditions worsen - Plastics...
Continue reading this entry → -
Texas city wants state to declare plastic pellet leaks an industrial pollutant – USA
Posted on November 12, 2025 by DrRossH in GeneralGalveston city officials are asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to give state regulators "clear direction" that leaks of plastic pellets should be considered industrial pollution. Source: Texas city wants state to declare plastic pellet leaks an industrial pollutant | Plastics...
Continue reading this entry → -

Strong plastic recycling industry needed -Australia
Posted on September 29, 2025 by DrRossH in General, Plastic RecyclingLed by ACOR and APCO, the Advancing Plastics Recycling in Australia (APRA) Project helps Australia’s support and strengthen recycling. Source: Strong plastic recycling industry needed - Inside Waste Australia’s recyclers, resource recovery companies and brand owners placing packaging on market...
Continue reading this entry → -
Australia’s plastic recycling rate stalls at 13% | Sustainable Plastics
Posted on August 26, 2025 by DrRossH in GeneralAustralia consumed 4 million tonnes of plastic in the 2023–24 financial year but just 13% was recycled, data from the latest Australian Plastics Flows and Fates (APFF) report shows. The figures highlight a widening gap between plastic use and...
Continue reading this entry → -
Plastics treaty talks spotlight clash over health risks from chemical additives
Posted on August 11, 2025 by DrRossH in GeneralAs U.N. plastics treaty negotiations resume in Geneva, industry and scientists release dueling research over whether health risks from chemical additives should be part of the agreement. Source: Plastics treaty talks spotlight clash over health risks from chemical additives |...
Continue reading this entry → -
Kennedy tells industry to expect big changes on food packaging – USA
Posted on April 29, 2025 by DrRossH in GeneralRobert F. Kennedy Jr. used a speech at a plastics and chemicals conference to highlight health risks from microplastics and changes in regulations for food packaging. Source: Kennedy tells industry to expect big changes on food packaging | Plastics...
Continue reading this entry → -
Ireland launches deposit return scheme
Posted on November 26, 2024 by DrRossH in GeneralThe scheme covers drinks in PET bottles and cans, excluding dairy Source: Ireland launches deposit return scheme | Sustainable Plastics Starting today, consumers in Ireland can help boost plastic recycling rates by returning their PET bottles in a new Continue reading this entry →

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?