Plastic Pollution

Of the estimated 460m tonnes of plastic that is produced annually, 141m tonnes are thought to be attributed to food and beverage packaging. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, just 14% of the plastic packaging used globally is recycled - while 40% ends up in landfill and one-third leaks into…

Photo by Pierre Pistorius A new study has found that marine plastic pollution can lead to the starvation of seabirds, affecting their population numbers, and ultimately affect marine ecosystems and wildlife globally.  Seabirds mistake plastic for food and “in some cases, these are then fed to their chicks waiting at…

The number of cigarette butts being found in rivers in the UK has exceeded the amount of plastic litter, according to volunteers who are taking part in the annual Plasticblitz. The Plasticblitz, which takes place each year to maintain the level of litter in the Thames, is organised by the…

Production of detergents and aldehydes could help tackle plastic pollution...Read More

A recent study reveals that plastic mulch, commonly used in California’s strawberry farming, contributes significantly to soil plastic pollution. Despite its benefits, plastic mulch fragments are difficult to entirely remove and negatively impact soil health over time. Researchers are seeking solutions with manufacturers to address these environmental concerns. Researchers have…

India and France have stepped up their collaboration in combating climate change and in environmental protection, and announced that they will constructively engage other like-minded countries to strengthen the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President…

Not even the Arctic Ocean is immune to the incessant growth of microplastic pollution. In a new study that analyzed sediment core samples, researchers quantified how many of the particles have been deposited since the early 1930s. As scientists have shown elsewhere, the team found that microplastic contamination in the…

Life Location trackers show migratory seabirds spend much of their time looking for food near ocean garbage patches, highlighting the need for action on pollution By Madeleine Cuff Cook’s petrel, a vulnerable species, had one of the highest plastic exposure risk scores in the study Paul Donald Threatened seabirds are…

The extensive study assessed the movements of 7,137 individual birds from 77 species of petrel, a group of wide-ranging migratory seabirds including the Northern Fulmar and European Storm-petrel, and the Critically Endangered Newell's Shearwater. This is the first time that tracking data for so many seabird species has been combined…

In short:  A raft made out of marine debris has hit the water for the first time after a groundswell of public support helped get it builtWhat's next?: Sam McLennan will sail the raft to Sydney, stopping at schools along the way to share an environmental messageThe past 18 months have…