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California officials approve plan to crack down on microplastics polluting the ocean

California aims to sharply limit the spiraling scourge of microplastics in the ocean, while urging more study of this threat to fish, marine mammals and potentially to humans, under a plan a state panel approved Wednesday.

'You Can't Recycle Your Way Out': California's Plastic Problem and What We Can Do About It

California dumps more than 12,000 tons of plastic into landfills every day — enough to fill 219 Olympic-size swimming pools, according to CalRecycle, the state's recycling and waste management agency.

The COVID-19 Plastic Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic was a respite for nature everywhere. The air was cleaner, trekking trails were pristine, the summit of Mt Everest was deserted, and worldwide carbon emission dipped by -26%.

Chemical Used to Line Plastic Bottles Is Linked to Premature Death

The chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, which is ubiquitous in plastic bottles, can linings and receipts, has been linked to numerous health issues because it disrupts hormone function.

Study of human tissues finds plastic particles in every sample

One of the great unknowns when it comes to plastic pollution is what kind of threat tiny fragments can pose to the health of living organisms.

Plastic pollution dumped into oceans will triple by 2040

Despite the growth of biodegradable materials and bans on single use plastics, a recent study finds that there could be 600 million tons of plastic in the oceans by 2040, which is equivalent to the weight of over three million blue whales.

Plastic pollution in Atlantic at least 10 times worse than thought

More than 10 times as much plastic has been found in the Atlantic ocean than previously estimated to be there, showing the the world’s plastic problem is likely to be much greater than realised.

Plastic pollution: World’s oceans may have more than double the amount of tiny plastic particles than scientists thought

There might be more than double the amount of tiny plastic particles in the world’s oceans than previously thought.

The end of plastic? New plant-based bottles will degrade in a year

Carlsberg and Coca-Cola back pioneering project to make ‘all-plant’ drinks bottles

Coronavirus pandemic threatens to undo progress on plastic pollution

Environmentalists and recyclers express concerns that hard-fought gains are being rapidly reversed as the sustainability debate is "parked."

Mussels that clump together in reefs may ingest triple the plastic

The impact of plastic on the many species that call the ocean home is a huge unknown, but scientists are starting to piece together the kinds of risks this pollution poses to the marine ecosystem.

Coronavirus is causing a flurry of plastic waste. Campaigners fear it may be permanent

All of the defining images of the coronavirus pandemic seem to feature one thing: plastic.

How to Read and Understand Plastic Recycling Symbols

What can and can't be recycled confuses many people, so before you drop another bottle into the recycling bin, take look on the bottom

'Horrible hybrids': the plastic products that give recyclers nightmares

From singing birthday cards to baby food pouches, a growing trend of mixing materials is making recycling even harder

A better way to recycle plastic

A French startup has pioneered a new way of using enzymes to recycle plastics more efficiently than current methods.

Cactus juice is the new plastic?

Plastic is everywhere — the average American consumes 70,000 pieces of plastic per year

Norway has a 97% recycle rate for its plastic bottle deposit return scheme (DRS)

The most effective DRS in the world can be found in Norway, colloquially known as “panting”, which has been in operation since the early 2000s.

Plastic Pollution’s Rapidly Mounting Toll

The number of marine species affected by plastic is over 900.

8 Plastic Wrap Alternatives for an Eco-Friendly Kitchen

We all know that plastic is bad for the environment, but how bad is it really?

One chart shows how long the coronavirus lives on surfaces like cardboard, plastic, wood, and steel

The new coronavirus typically spreads via droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets carry viral particles and can land on someone else's nose or mouth or get inhaled.

Plastic Water Bottle Pollution: Where do all the Bottles End Up?

Plastic water bottle pollution is worse than you think.

Your recycled plastic might be ending up in a landfill.

Recycling facilities in the US can't process most of the plastics

More Plastic Is on the Way: What It Means for Climate Change

With the recent fracking boom causing low gas prices, fossil fuel companies are seeking other ways to bolster their profits — by making more plastic.

The Global Plastic Crisis In Numbers: 10 Shocking Facts You Need To Know

The plastic crisis is one of the biggest challenges that our planet is facing, and one that desperately needs to be tackled, especially if we want to save the fate of our oceans.

The Ocean Cleanup reveals the Interceptor to remove plastic pollution from rivers

After recently announcing its first success at collecting plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, The Ocean Cleanup team is widening efforts by addressing the main entry point of litter — rivers.

The missing 99%: why can't we find the vast majority of ocean plastic?

What scientists can see and measure, in the garbage patches and on beaches, accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total plastic entering the water

Citing plastic pollution, state Dems would ban cigarette filters

Recycling efforts increased in the last decade, but so has the use of single-serve plastics.

Ever Hear Of A Nurdle? This New Form Of Pollution Could Be Coming To The Ohio River

When the petrochemical plant being built by Shell Chemical Appalachia in Beaver County, Pennsylvania is complete, it’s anticipated to bring 600 jobs as well as spinoff industries.

71% of California voters support tax on plastics manufacturers according to survey

A new survey of California voters found that 71 percent support key policies of a 2020 ballot initiative to tax plastic manufacturers, officials with San Francisco-based Recology said Thursday.

There's 'Several Orders of Magnitude' More Plastic in Rivers Than Oceans, Study Finds

Humans have produced an estimated 10 billion metric tonnes of plastic since the industrial era, most of which has ended up as permanent waste in the environment that will define Homo sapiens’ legacy in the fossil record.

Microplastic pollution could reduce drinking water quality

Microplastic pollution in streams may be negatively impacting our drinking water quality as well as damaging the aquatic ecosystem.

Microplastics, microbeads and single-use plastics poisoning sea life and affecting humans

Between 60 to 90 per cent of the litter that accumulates on shorelines, the surface and the sea floor is made up of plastic.

The Story of Plastic: New Film Exposes the Source of Our Plastic Crisis

Prigi Arisandi, who founded the environmental group Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation, picks through a heap of worn plastic packaging in Mojokerto, Indonesia.

Tests Find Plastic in 20 Percent of Mexican Fish

Microplastics from product packaging and other sources are present in the stomachs of 20 percent of commercially important fish from three regions in Mexico, according to new tests by conservation groups and scientists from prominent Mexican universities.

Recycled plastic to soon pave Los Angeles roads

To better manage plastic waste, Los Angeles is in talks with Technisoil, an innovative manufacturing company, to viably incorporate plastic into the city’s roads.

California Becomes First State to Ban Single-Use Hotel Toiletries

California became the first state in the nation to ban hotels from offering mini toiletries in plastic bottles Wednesday when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to that effect into law.

The biggest source of microplastics in California coastal waters? Car tires

Cars may be doing more damage to our environment than we realized. The harmful effects that fossil fuels have on our environment are well documented -- a study from March found that global fossil-fuel emissions account for nearly 70% of climate cooling.

Move To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bottle Toiletries Gains Steam In New York

Tiny plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash in hotels may soon be a thing of the past in New York as lawmakers continue efforts to reduce plastic waste statewide.

Marine plastic pollution hides a neurological toxicant in our food

In the mid-1950s, domesticated cats in Minamata, Japan mysteriously began to convulse and fall into the bay. The people of Minamata took on similar symptoms shortly after, losing their ability to speak, move, and think.

Heartbreaking images that show the impact of plastic on animals in the oceans

These distressing photos reveal the devastating impact of the plastic crisis that is blighting the planet's oceans. The images, which have been taken by photographers around the world, show everything from turtles trapped in fishing nets to dead whales with their bellies full of debris.

Caribbean Islands Are The Biggest Plastic Polluters Per Capita In The World

In 2016, global plastic waste amounted to some 242 million metric tons. Of this, 137 million tonnes (or more than 57%) originated in East Asia, the Pacific, Europe, Central Asia and North America, much of which made its way into the ocean.

Plastic pollution has entered fossil record, says study

A new study has found that plastic pollution is being deposited into the fossil record, with deposits increasing exponentially since 1945.

More than ever, our clothes are made of plastic. Just washing them can pollute the oceans.

It’s no secret that too many of the plastic products we use end up in the ocean. But you might not be aware of one major source of that pollution: our clothes.

50 Facts That Will Make You Stop Using Plastic

Plastic is not only killing marine animals and ecosystems, but countless studies show it’s hazardous to human health. These shocking statistics may encourage you to rethink single-use plastic products.

Giant Trap Is Deployed to Catch Plastic Littering the Pacific Ocean

A multimillion-dollar floating boom designed to corral plastic debris littering the Pacific Ocean deployed from San Francisco Bay on Saturday as part of a larger high-stakes and ambitious undertaking.

Flushing your contact lenses down the drain is adding plastic waste to oceans

Add millions of used contact lenses to the plastic waste that's finding its way into oceans and lakes.sA new study released Sunday estimates that these slippery transparent discs, vital to the vision of an estimated 45 million Americans, are often flushed into the sewer instead of placed in the trash or recycled.

New Game Asks Players to Clean the Ocean of Plastic

The new game “Dumb Ways to Kill the Ocean” highlights three big issues facing the world's oceans: plastic, warming, and coral degradation.

UK now exporting more waste to countries with highest levels of ocean plastic pollution

The ban on plastic exports to China has seen the UK offloading its waste to nations with questionable records on marine pollution.

Our Clothes Are Contaminating Our Planet With Tiny Plastic Threads

Minute fibers shed from synthetic textiles are polluting oceans, streams, rivers — even the air we breathe — with unknown consequences.

Saving our seas: 5 ocean heroes battling to turn the toxic tide

From the icy splendour of the Arctic to the inky depths of the Mariana ocean trench, plastic waste is threatening our seas, killing our wildlife and polluting our food chain. The facts are undeniable: each year more than 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans. According to one estimate, 99 per cent of seabirds will have ingested plastic by the middle of this century.

INTERESTING PLASTIC FACTS

DYK: A plastic cup can take 50 - 80 years to decompose. An estimated 13 billion plastic bottles are disposed of each year. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million sea creatures every year. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy than burning it in an incinerator.

Bottled Water and the Damage Done: Coping With Plastic Pollution

Bottled water beats out soda as the best-selling U.S. beverage, but that popularity spotlights the environmental costs of so many plastic bottles being used once and then tossed aside.

Fast Facts About Plastic Pollution

Some 18 billion pounds of plasticswaste flows into the oceanssevery year from coastal regions.

Researchers find 'microplastics' in beers that source water from Lake Michigan

A study by the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health gives us a stunning look at the amount of plastic pollution found in beer brewed with our Lake Michigan water.

Nat Geo's 'Planet or Plastic?' Initiative Latest Attempt to Save the Oceans from Plastic

As the amount of single-use plastic in the world's oceans continues to grow, National Geographic is announcing a new, global commitment to tackle this pressing problem. On Wednesday, the media giant launched Planet or Plastic?, a multiyear initiative aimed at raising awareness of this challenge and reducing the amount of single-use plastic that enters the world's oceans.

The Ocean Cleanup is about to send a giant plastic collector to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing at an alarming rate — and it’s already three times the size of France.

It's not just the oceans: Microplastic pollution is all around us

In the past few years, scientists have found microplastics in our soil, tap water, bottled water, beer and even in the air we breathe. And there's growing concern about the potential health risks they pose to humans.

Cotton buds and plastic straws could be banned in England next year

Cotton buds, plastic drinking straws and other single-use plastics could be banned from sale in England next year in the next phase of the campaign to try to halt the pollution of the world’s rivers and oceans.

The world's deepest garbage dump: Carrier bag is found 36,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific, in the world's deepest ocean trench . . . and it's not alone

Plastic pollution is invading the deepest parts of the ocean, causing damage to the ecosystem that can last thousands of years. The discovery of a plastic bag 36,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean in the Mariana Trench is of global concern.

Microplastic pollution in oceans is far worse than feared, say scientists

A study reveals highest microplastic pollution levels ever recorded in a river in Manchester, UK and shows that billions of particles flooded into the sea from rivers in the area in just one year.

Will the world come together to end ocean plastic pollution? It depends

The global community has solved significant environment problems, such as the ozone hole, but has fallen far short on others.

The U.K. has banned microbeads. Why?

They’re tiny, colorful and harmless-looking, but these little pellets are being blamed for causing big problems for the world’s oceans and seas.

Deeply Talks: Why plastic straws are key to fighting ocean pollution

Oceans Deeply talks with experts about how the city of Seattle pioneered a ban on plastic straws.

Scotland plans to ban plastic straws by end of 2019

Scottish Environment Secretary says she would like to see more single-use plastics banned as a means of tackling marine pollution.

NOTABLE CITIES/COUNTIES WITH PLASTIC BAG BANS AND FEES

In 2014 California became the first state to enact legislation banning single use plastic bags at large retail stores. Some U.S. counties and cities now ban or charge fees for plastic bags to reduce their harmful impact to the environment. Check the link to see what places are on the path to a #HealthyWorldForAll and visit our website for the latest news.

STRAWLESS OCEAN

We use 500 Million Plastic Straws Every Day in the U.S.sMany of those plastic straws end up in our oceans, polluting the water and harming sea life. If we don’t act now, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Plastic waste 'building up' in Arctic

Plastic waste is building up in the supposedly pristine wilderness of the Norwegian Arctic, scientists say. Researchers are particularly concerned about huge concentrations of microplastic fragments in sea ice.

Heart-breaking moment mother turtle is forced to lay eggs on a huge pile of rubbish at a filthy beach

This is the shocking moment a mother turtle struggled to nest on a beach filled with rubbish and marine debris.

Seven charts that explain the plastic pollution problem

Marine life is facing "irreparable damage" from the millions of tons of plastic waste which ends up in the oceans each year, the United Nations has warned.

Humans have dumped tons of plastic into oceans. Now it’s reached the deepest depths, study finds

Most of that plastic isn’t recycled. 91 percent of the world’s plastic ends up as waste that threatens fish, birds, mammals and even the crustaceans seven miles below the ocean’s surface.

Lobster's Pepsi 'tattoo' highlights major ocean problem

A lobster fished from waters off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada, was found earlier this month with an unusual marking on its claw—what appears to be the image of a Pepsi can.

Five shocking facts about the scale of plastic pollution that's choking our seas

Plastics now dominate modern human life, with many throwaway or single-use products such as drinks bottles, nappies and cutlery, ending up in the natural environment.

"Shame and anger" at plastic ocean pollution

Every piece of plastic rubbish has a story, so it also makes me wonder about the chain of events that led to that particular item ending up in the deep ocean, and whether any of those events could have been prevented.

Sailing to the pacific ocean’s trash vortex

Now, ocean plastic pollution had its Frankenstein trash island. Sea captain Marcus Eriksen and surfer Charles Moore discovered the Pacific trash vortex and the island of floating trash.

U.N. report: little known about ocean plastic’s impact on human health

An FAO study finds that more than 100 commercial seafood species ingest microplastic, which can be contaminated with toxins. More worrying are the unknown health effects of even smaller nanoplastics.

Meet the brothers kayaking down the world's most polluted river

Plastic Bottle Citarum has been launched to help make people think about the dangers that pollution has on human health to inspire positive change.

Oceans Deeply talks: drowning in plastic

Oceans Deeply talks with experts about the plastic pollution that’s threatening the ocean: What we know, what we don’t know and, crucially, what we can do about it.

Just 10 river systems contribute up to 95 percent of plastic in oceans

We've known that the plastics we throw away — empty water bottles and grocery bags, for instance — pollute our oceans. Every year, about 8.8 million tons (8 million metric tons) of this material ends up in the deep blue sea, imperiling marine ecosystems.

New global study shows the production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made

A new global study published yesterday estimated that 8,300 million metric tons of plastics have been produced to date Ndthe vast majority has ended up in our environment.

Scientists have figured out how much plastic we’ve made since 1950. It’s not pretty.

In just 70 years, more than 8 billion metric tons of virgin plastics have been produced worldwide.

Plastic in the sea smells like food to fish, finds new study

Anchovies are falling into an 'evolutionary trap' created by vast amount of plastic waste being dumped in the sea.

How to reduce your plastic consumption & why you better start today

It's time to wake up to colossal and terrifying effects of plastic pollution.

Hunting for plastic in California’s protected ocean waters

Microplastics, which are too small for water systems to catch, have continued to flow straight into San Francisco Bay.

UN competition encourages student innovations to tackle plastic wastes in the ocean

UN Environment and Think Beyond Plastic, an innovation accelerator organization, have launched a worldwide innovation challenge for university students to fight plastic waste in oceans.

How three friends are turning plastic waste into a new retail brand

One of the hardest parts of building Nomadix has been reminding ourselves to slow down. We really want to be able to make the right decisions that align with our values, not just growth rates or profit margins.

This Pacific island is covered in 38 million pieces of trash — mostly plastic

Henderson Island is particularly hit by the plastic pollution because it’s located at the edge of the South Pacific gyre, an ocean current that tends to pick up trash.

In Pictures: Plastic pollution and our oceans

With millions of tons of plastic waste being dumped into the sea every year and barely any ocean area free of such pollutants, the environmental impact on marine life and species is tremendous. Take a look at the hazardous effects of plastic pollution on our oceans.

Corals keep a record of ocean pollution

Coral nitrogen analysis offers an independent measure of the effects of human activity on the ecosystem. Changes in nitrogen runoff are reflected in coral reef growth.

Plastic pollution doesn’t just make for an ugly beach day. It’s contaminating our food chain

In the two minutes it took you to read this article, more than 60,000 pounds of plastic were dumped into our oceans. That plastic could very well have profound health consequences for you and the ones you love.

Californians are recycling bottles less and less. Here's what's going on

In a state that prides itself as a global leader in protecting the environment, recycling rates for beverage containers have dropped to their lowest point amid the continued closure of centers that pay for bottles and cans and the fallout from changes to California's recycling program.

Is marine plastic pollution a threat to human heath?

Would you like a side of plastic with your fish dish? Well, you might get it whether you like it or not. Ocean plastic pollution is pervasive. Scientists are trying to figure out the impact on human health.

Pacific voyage reveals depth of plastic pollution crisis

The discovery of microplastics in deep water means scientists may have underestimated the extent to which plastic trash is contaminating the ocean – and its impact on fish, marine mammals and seabed dwellers.

The ocean is filling up with ‘Plastic Smog’

Every year, billions of pounds of plastic waste pour into our oceans. Used by humanity for a few minutes at most, these single-use plastics will likely stick around for decades, or longer.

15 ways to stop microfiber pollution now

Plastic fibers are now showing up in fish and shellfish sold in in California and Indonesia for human consumption. And one paper showed that microfibers are responsible for 85 percent of shoreline pollution across the globe. How can we stop this pollution?

World’s plastic waste could bury Manhattan 2 miles deep

Industry has made more than 9.1 billion tons of plastic since 1950 and there’s enough left over to bury Manhattan under more than two miles of trash, according to a new cradle-to-grave global study.

Plastic waste has gotten out of hand. Ban plastic foam take-out boxes

Disposable plastic waste has gotten way out of hand, and recycling programs don’t appear to be solving the problem. The conditions are ripe for another attempt to enact a statewide restriction on polystyrene takeout containers. Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) has written one, and lawmakers should pass it.

Aquariums pool resources to fight global plastic

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is teaming up with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and others to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics like straws and beverage bottles from their cafes and gift shops.

6 most common sources of plastic pollution

The 5 Gyres Institute has published a report called “The Plastics BAN List.” Its purpose is to assess which plastics are most damaging to human health and the environment. Plastic waste was collected and analyzed to see in which form it’s most commonly found, which toxic chemicals are used to create the plastics, and what recovery systems (i.e. recycling, composting, reuse) exist, if any.

A UK company is creating edible water blobs that it hopes will eradicate the world of plastic waste

A UK company has created a biodegradable alternative to plastic bottles which is currently crowdfunding on crowdcube. The product is a blob of water that's made from a seaweed extract, which is actually cheaper than plastic to manufacture.

Protecting our waterways from plastic pollution starts with your straw

Plastic production has skyrocketed since it’s popularization as a consumer material in the 1950’s. A 2015 Worldwatch Institute report noted that the relatively modest launching point of 1.7 million tons of plastic generated in 1950 has ballooned into 300 million tons in 2015.

Trillions of plastic bits, swept up by current, are littering arctic waters

A study published recently shows a major ocean current is carrying trillions of bits of plastic from the North Atlantic to the Greenland and Barents seas, and leaving them there — in surface waters, in sea ice and possibly on the ocean floor.

Millions of discarded flip flops posing huge hazard to ocean life

Each year, tons of flip flops wash up on East African coast, including Kenyan beaches like the one pictured, posing a risk to plant and animal life.

These caterpillars could eliminate plastic pollution

This would be the first of several major hurdles the scientists would need to clear, to scale plastic biodegradation beyond a caterpillar curiosity.

California legislature weighs 3 bills to reduce plastic pollution

State legislators are currently reviewing three bills aimed at reducing plastic pollution through recycling programs and bans.

Why is disposable plastic a problem?

50% of the plastic we use is only used once.In the US, a study indicated that 93% of people 6 years of age or older tested positive for BPA (Bisphenol-A, a chemical containing plastics).

Huge plastic waste footprint revealed

The top global firms in the world produces more than 20 million bottles year — the weight of approximately 10,000 blue whales.

The plastic plague: Can our oceans be saved from environmental ruin?

Approximately eight million tons of plastic enter oceans every year. Experts believe that there will be more plastic than fish in oceans by 2050.

Why is plastic harmful?

Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 percent of all plastic - water bottles, bags and straws - are used just once and thrown away. Plastic cannot biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.

10 ways to reduce plastic pollution - help keep our marine life from eating and swimming in garbage

The best thing we can do to protect our waterways is try to keep as much plastic as possible out of the waste stream in the first place. There are many small ways you can have a big impact.

Video captures moment plastic enters food chain

A scientist has filmed the moment plastic microfiber is ingested by plankton, illustrating how the material is affecting life beneath the waves.

Plastic from tyres 'major source' of ocean pollution

Particles of debris from car types are ending up in the ocean as "plastic soup", conservationists warn.

Do you live near toxic waste? See 1,317 of the most polluted spots in the U.S.

With 98 Superfund sites in California and more than 1,300 across the country, Americans are suffering from exposure to toxic wastes and chemicals.

Ocean plastic pollution at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

There is currently a dire plastic pollution problem. If nothing is done, researchers predict there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

Fish eat plastic like teens eat fast food, researchers say

Study shows that some fish are being attracted to eating plastic and scientists have found lower levels of hatch rates among plastic polluted waters.

How plastic ends up in our seafood and what you can do about it

A walkthrough on how fish sold in markets have human-made debris inside them and how there are indirect environmental consequences to our everyday lives.