April 2021 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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A new way of thinking about food waste –
Posted on April 27, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsSource: A new way of thinking about food waste - Food & Beverage Industry News “Then the 1950s roll around. Disposability brought around unparalleled convenience and affordability, which elevated people out of poverty, allowed folks to not be in the...
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Biodegradable plastic that can break down in your compost developed by scientists – Australia
Posted on April 22, 2021 by DrRossH in GeneralSource: Biodegradable plastic that can break down in your compost developed by scientists - ABC News A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have finally created a biodegradable plastic that disappears almost entirely in household compost within a...
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Paper looks at risks of investing in plastics Australia
Posted on April 15, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste News, Switching Away from PlasticSource: Paper looks at risks of investing in plastics - Inside Waste “In the face of crises like climate change and global plastic pollution, shareholders must scrutinise whether investments in the production of plastics and other petrochemicals will live up...
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Woolworths introduces Australian made paper shopping bags
Posted on April 14, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsSource: Woolworths introduces Australian made paper shopping bags Woolworths’ paper shopping bags were first launched in June 2020 in response to customer demand for a paper carry bag option. The supermarket has been working with Detpak to plan and grow...
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Smarties switches to recyclable paper packaging – Australia
Posted on April 14, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsSource: Smarties switches to recyclable paper packaging Nestlé Oceania has announced its Smarties confectionery brand will switch entirely to recyclable paper packaging in Australia. While some Smarties packs sold in Australia are already in paper, the change sees...
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7Up removes colour to improve recyclability
Posted on April 13, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsOriginal Source Frucor Suntory is marking an important milestone in its 2030 sustainability ambitions with the removal of the colour from its 7Up plastic bottles – saying the move will make it easier for consumers to recognise that it’s recyclable. A lot...
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WCRA – ban extension needed – Australia
Posted on April 12, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSource: WCRA - ban extension needed - Inside Waste Despite the best efforts of the Government to support industry, the infrastructure is not yet in place in Australia to deal with the processing of volumes of mixed plastics currently in...
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WMRR weighs in on Victorian CRS controversy – Australia
Posted on April 1, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSource: WMRR weighs in on Victorian CRS controversy - Inside Waste “We cannot stress enough that a successful scheme is one that is accessible, drives recycling, reduces litter, provides a new income stream for Victorians, and creates a remanufacturing sub-sector...
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ACT passes plastic ban bill -Australia
Posted on April 1, 2021 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSource: ACT passes plastic ban bill - Inside Waste “The ban, which is in two parts, will mean that plastic cutlery, stirrers and polystyrene food and beverage containers cannot be used after 1 July 2021,’ said Jeff Angel, Director 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?