Plastic Pollution

The global plastics trade has more than doubled in value over the past two decades, reaching an estimated $1.13 trillion in 2023. This is according to a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) titled “Global Trade Update (August 2025): Mobilising Trade to Curb Plastic…

A wild elephant rummages near an electric fence through garbage dumped at an open ground in the village of Digampathana in north-central Sri Lanka. — AFP pic Enjoy 4.0% p.a. fixed returns with Versa starting August 2025 (New users only). Cash in RM100 & get RM10 FREE with code VERSAMM10!…

Historically, most United Nations agreements have been reached by consensus. But based on recent events, this no longer seems likely for achieving a fully effective global treaty on plastic pollution, according to many analysts. The fifth resumed session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2) will take place…

USC researchers have created a biodegradable, ocean-safe plastic alternative from seashell minerals and citric acid polymers, offering a promising new solution to marine pollution. Credit: Shutterstock USC biomedical engineers have developed a novel, ocean-safe biocompatible material that eliminates the risk of microplastic pollution. Plastic pollution continues to pose a major…

Demonstrating its commitment to environmental sustainability, The Alternative Bank, alongside the Sterling Sustainability Working Group, organised the Walk4ZeroPlastic march on Saturday, engaging over 300 volunteers in the battle against plastic pollution. The walk, which climaxed at the Tejuosho market in Lagos, saw the recovery of several tonnes of waste while…

Scientists have measured the amount of nanoplastics in the open ocean for the first time and found they make up the vast majority of marine plastic pollution. Plastic debris in the ocean can be of varying sizes. Nanoplastics are the tiniest, about 1,000 times smaller than the smallest microplastics —…

As part of ongoing efforts to tackle one of Nigeria’s most pressing environmental challenges, The Alternative Bank is set to execute the inaugural edition of its ‘Walk4ZeroPlastic’ campaign on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Tejuosho Market in Yaba, Lagos. The initiative, which forms part of the World Environment Day Program…

At the dawn of the millennium, a group of eminent scientists began compiling a list of the threats they felt were most likely to impact the world's rocky shorelines over the coming quarter of a century. Published in 2002, it included forecasts that - among other things - pollution from…

Sunscreen chemicals like EHMC may be silently increasing ocean plastic pollution by strengthening harmful microbial biofilms and hindering the bacteria that would otherwise degrade plastic. A widely used ingredient in sunscreen may be interfering with the natural breakdown of plastic waste in the ocean, according to new findings from the…

Most Plastic in the Ocean Is Invisible—And Deadly Nanoplastics—particles smaller than a human hair—can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. New research suggests 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics are spread across just the top layer of the North Atlantic By Katharine Sanderson & Nature magazine Sergi…