April 2019 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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‘Biodegradable’ plastic bags still carry groceries three years in soil and sea – Australia
Posted on April 30, 2019 by DrRossH in General, Plastic Waste NewsIt turns out those ‘biodegradable’ plastic shopping bags might not be as good for the environment as first thought. A first-of-its-kind study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found biodegradable bags were still able to carry shopping after...
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‘Take your s*** from Indonesia’: Australia accused of smuggling waste to East Java
Posted on April 30, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsEnvironmentalists in Indonesia claim that among the thousands of tonnes of paper bales sent to East Java are household waste items including faeces-contaminated nappies. Source: 'Take your s*** from Indonesia': Australia accused of smuggling waste to East Java "Actually, according to...
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Dear Plastics Industry: We are Headed for a Divorce
Posted on April 17, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsThe plastics industry needs to make some serious changes to save its relationship with recyclers. Source: Dear Plastics Industry: We are Headed for a Divorce Here’s where we need to start: Replace Nos. 3, 6 or 7 plastics with more recyclable,...
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The Rubbish Revolution – Australia
Posted on April 15, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic & Wildlife, Plastic Waste NewsSource: The Rubbish Revolution It’s the rubbish triathalon and it’s sweeping across Melbourne, leaving nothing in its wake, except pristine streets, parks, waterways and beaches. The participants are out there on foot, in kayaks and in weighted wetsuits, picking up...
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Helium balloon releases may be banned in Atlantic County parks – USA
Posted on April 11, 2019 by DrRossH in BalloonsNORTHFIELD _ The Atlantic County freeholders are expected to adopt an ordinance Tuesday to ban the release of helium filled balloons in any county park. Source: Helium balloon releases may be banned in Atlantic County parks Balloons eventually deflate and fall...
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Unity residents OK ordinance prohibiting mass balloon releases – UK
Posted on April 4, 2019 by DrRossH in BalloonsThe new rule approved at Town Meeting bans the release of 10 or more balloons within a 24-hour period. Source: Unity residents OK ordinance prohibiting mass balloon releases UNITY — Residents on Saturday approved a new ordinance prohibiting the intentional release...
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Humphrey announces change to plastics ban – Barbados
Posted on April 3, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsThe pleas of vendors and retailers for an extension to the deadline for the ban of single use petro-based plastics in Barbados have been answered. Minister of Maritime... Source: Humphrey announces change to plastics ban The ban will see products such...
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SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS: Recycling is good but… – Philippines
Posted on April 2, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsSource: SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS: Recycling is good but… | MindaNews Yes, people who threw those plastics into the sea that have killed whales and other forms of marine life are to blame for such tragedy. The greater responsibility however rests...
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Plastic pollution: Could selling glitter soon be banned? – CBBC Newsround
Posted on April 2, 2019 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsCampaigners are calling on the government to ban it because it contains micro plastics that can harm marine life. Source: Plastic pollution: Could selling glitter soon be banned? - CBBC Newsround Some supermarkets, including Waitrose, Aldi, and Marks & Spencer, have...
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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?