Plastic Pollution

The Canadian government is looking to curb domestic plastic pollution by the end of the decade as negotiations toward a formal plastics management treaty begin this week in Uruguay OTTAWA — Canadians appear to be slowly cutting back on their use of plastic straws and grocery bags ahead of a…

This week in Uruguay, scientists, environmentalists, and government representatives—and, of course, lobbyists—are gathering to begin negotiations on a United Nations treaty on plastics. It’s only the start of talks, so we don’t know how they will shape up, but some of the bargaining chips on the table include production limits and…

Environment2022 in ReviewFrom a thriving new marine park to rules curbing plastic pollution, the past year gave us several reasons to be optimistic for the planet's future. BySarah Gibbens Published November 29, 2022 • 8 min read The world now has eight billion people, according to the United Nations. The…

UBC professor Dr. Feng Jiang holding samples of the biodegradable foam:. Credit: Lou Bosshart/UBC A new biodegradable packing foam developed at UBC not only potentially addresses the world's plastic pollution crisis but also serves as an equal and true partnership example of working with First Nations. The team came together…

Microplastics have become a new form of plastic pollution, reaching an alarming level worldwide. Commodity plastics are widely considered to be chemically inert, but alterations in their surface properties owing to environmental weathering are often overlooked, impeding their life-cycle analysis in the environment.  In a new paper published in ACS…

In 2018, the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment was launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in collaboration with UN Environment. Signatories collectively represent more than 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally. Food and beverage majors Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, The Coca Cola Company, Mars, Inc. and Danone are among…

In the murky waters of Lake Ontario just off the Toronto harbor, a stream of trash inches toward a round, tubular-looking device floating in the water. A piece of white styrofoam bumps up against the device’s lip. Then, in one fluid motion, it tumbles over the edge. With tendrils of…

Globally, over 460 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year. Rising populations and incomes are driving a ‘relentless increase’ in the amount of plastics produced globally, according to a recent report from OECD. However, policies to curb leakage into the environment are ‘falling short’. Only 9% of the plastic…

The saliva of wax worms contains enzymes that can break down plastic in a matter of hours, new research shows. Published October 7, 2022 04:28PM EDT Because they eventually become moths or butterflies, all caterpillars are destined for greatness. The larvae of at least one species, however, are equipped to…

Two substances in the saliva of wax worms — moth larvae that eat wax made by bees to build honeycombs — readily break down a common type of plastic, researchers said on Tuesday, in a potential advance in the global fight against plastic pollution. The researchers said the two enzymes…