November 2017 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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Oxo degradeable plastics should be banned – Europe
Posted on November 14, 2017 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsPLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT Ellen MacArthur Foundation calls for oxo-degradable plastic packaging ban / Contribution to microplastic pollution The foundation created by round-the-world yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur has called for the banning of oxo-degradable plastic packaging until tests can conclusively show the breakdown of...
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Plastic straws banned from Fort Myers Beach – USA
Posted on November 9, 2017 by DrRossH in Plastic StrawsPlastic straws are no longer allowed on Fort Myers Beach. Source: Plastic straws banned from Fort Myers Beach Businesses and restaurants are no longer allowed to hand out any straws. The order will go into effect 90 days after passing.
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Perth engineer wages war on plastic with WA’s first plastic recycling plant
Posted on November 5, 2017 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsWith no WA-based reprocessing plant, most of our plastic rubbish is either sold into the international waste market or used to generate electricity in incinerators. This shocking discovery spurred Mr Lomman into action, and he is now helping build...
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‘Our oceans are under attack – and we’re fighting back’
Posted on November 2, 2017 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsThe Alicante Ocean Summit sees Spanish government make the Clean Seas pledge and Volvo announce a science programme for 2017-18 Source: 'Our oceans are under attack – and we're fighting back' The Volvo Ocean Race has used the first 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?