Envirotec Magazine

AUGUST 17, 2022

The UK’s next prime minister should ban manufacturers from intentionally adding microplastics to consumer or professional use products, according to a new environmental campaign from the drainage experts at Lanes Group plc. Microplastic particles measure less than 5mm and are incorporated into a wide variety of consumer products.

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Microplastics Plastics Pollution Policy 244

Envirotec Magazine

APRIL 14, 2023

By Ria Devereux , PhD Student, Microplastic Pollution, University of East London, writing in The Conversation. However, our research found discarded face coverings and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are likely to be the cause of a rise in microplastics entering the environment. That works out to an average of 17.6

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Microplastics Plastics Pollution Waste 239

Envirotec Magazine

MAY 12, 2021

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a seemingly new technique to trap and recover microplastics. The method uses bacterial biofilms, a sticky substance created by micro-organisms, to trap microplastic particles. In bioreactors, this makes the microplastics more convenient to collect, according to Liu.

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Microplastics Plastics Organic Recycling 246

Envirotec Magazine

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, and only 9% successfully recycled, according to a new OECD report. Almost half of all plastic waste is generated in OECD countries, according to the Outlook.

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Plastics Waste Waste Recycling 242

Envirotec Magazine

AUGUST 3, 2023

Surface cracks and biofilms on plastic particles might help spread pollution Concerns about microplastic pollution arise not only because of the particles themselves, but also from whatever cargo they might be carrying. Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (image credit: takepicsforfun / Shutterstock.com).

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Microplastics Pollution Energy Monitor Building Energy Monitoring 246

Envirotec Magazine

MARCH 6, 2023

The last decade has seen some progress with studying plastic pollution, but there are still significant challenges, such as a lack of comparability of reported results, especially when it comes to microplastic particles. River landscape in Pantanal, Brazil. We measure particle size in all samples.

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Microplastics Pollution Plastics Health 260

Envirotec Magazine

JUNE 10, 2022

Methods for the analysis of microplastic particles in a sample (of water) are beset by challenges such as high error rates and a high time requirement. The chemical characterization of the microplastic particles is based on their absorption of infrared light. Near-surface analysis.

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Microplastics Plastics Pollution Waste 130

Envirotec Magazine

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

A research project investigating the problem of microplastics in inland waters has been using a tube pump from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG), in a system where samples are taken automatically at programmed intervals. The procedure must also exclude the potential for samples to become contaminated by other plastic particles.

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Microplastics Plastics Education Waste 200

Hydrogen Fuel News

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

The Scale of the US Plastic Waste Problem The United States is projected to generate 220 million tons of plastic waste in 2024, a 7.11% increase from 2021. Over a third of this waste is expected to be mishandled, contributing significantly to global plastic pollution. With only 19.8% With only 19.8%

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Plastics Hydrogen Waste Waste 111

Grist

MARCH 13, 2024

The spotlight If you’ve read any climate-related news in the past several years, you’re probably familiar with the scourge of microplastics. These tiny bits of plastic end up clogging oceans. The bits of plastic shed from synthetic textiles have their own term: microfibers.

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Plastics Waste Waste Microplastics 92

Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 4, 2024

University of Edinburgh start-up firm EVA Biosystems has developed a plastic that is described as being able to sense when it’s in the ocean and break itself down without creating microplastics. EVA Biosystems’ innovation involves adding special bacteria to conventional plastics.

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Plastics Startups Microplastics Innovation 130

Envirotec Magazine

JANUARY 12, 2022

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, used in bottles and food containers, was one of the most common sources of microplastic identified in the study (image caption: Kevin Doncaster , CC BY 2.0 A potential link between microplastics and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been flagged up by a scientific study released in late December.

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Microplastics Biodegradable Plastics Packaging 130

Envirotec Magazine

APRIL 28, 2024

An aerial view of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as Plastic Island, which comprises mainly plastic, light metals and organic residues of garbage. A new report attempts to better understand the provenance and impact of plastics in the ocean. Plastic, the report (titled ‘How Much Plastic Is In The Ocean?’)

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Plastics Microplastics Waste Waste 147

GreenBiz

AUGUST 26, 2020

Where there's hope for speeding up business action on plastics. Its landmark report, "The New Plastics Economy," sounded the alarm in 2016 that if "business as usual" continues, by 2025 the ocean may hold more plastic than fish by weight. Only five years ago, few corporate leaders had plastic pollution on their official radar.

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Plastics Waste Waste Recycling 311

Envirotec Magazine

MAY 9, 2023

New research appears to show that the filters leak thousands of toxins and plastic fibres that are toxic to aquatic larvae. It’s hazardous waste.” Cigarette filters are also a major source of the microplastics that find their way into our environment – something we know has a major negative impact on biological life.

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Microplastics Plastics Waste Waste 262

Green Business Bureau

APRIL 7, 2022

is aiding the world in the fight against single-use plastic waste by offering a variety of biodegradable organic bamboo products for personal use, homes and businesses. From disposable utensils to dental and hair care, EcoLuxe has an array of eco-friendly alternatives to help you reduce your plastic footprint.

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Plastics Waste Waste Sustainability 148

Envirotec Magazine

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

UK biotech company Toraphene says it is preparing to unveil the world’s first truly biodegradable, compostable and commercially viable alternative to plastic packaging. It’s because they need specific manmade conditions to biodegrade, and many degrade into microplastics, which contaminate our oceans and food chain for centuries”.

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Biodegradable Plastics Packaging Biotech 246

Business Green

JUNE 6, 2022

Governments must work together to avoid tidal wave of plastic waste, think tank warns. Plastic waste is on track to triple by 2060, according to the latest report from the OECD think tank, which warns that recycling capacity and circular economy policies are failing to keep pace with still surging global demand for plastics.

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Plastics Waste Waste Recycling 92

DeSmogBlog

MARCH 6, 2024

Last week at the New York State Capitol, more than 300 advocates joined lawmakers for a rally to urge the passage of a landmark waste reduction bill that proponents say is the best piece of legislation in the country aimed at lessening plastic trash. Thankfully they have not succeeded so far.”

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Plastics Waste Waste Recycling 100

Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Microplastics can be removed by 99% with flocculants alone, without any additional equipment, by irradiating them with sunlight, according to new research Plastic waste breaks down over time into microplastics (<0.1

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Microplastics Organic Plastics Technology 231

Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Many of these chargers ultimately end up being discarded, contributing to more than 51,000 tonnes of electronic and electrical equipment waste each year. Don’t bin them Many people do not realise that disposing of old phone chargers and cables in standard waste bins has negative environmental consequences. What should you do with them?

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Waste Waste Recycling Recycling 130

Envirotec Magazine

JANUARY 16, 2023

Microplastics are everywhere: We know that much. Even the definition of “microplastics” is slippery. But tiny plastic fragments follow a multitude of pathways into the enviroment. And not all rivers carry the same load of microplastics. But should we be worried? What can we do about it? What do we know?

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Microplastics Plastics Soil Waste 222

The Verge: Energy

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that his office had launched an investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries alleged role in causing a plastic pollution crisis on April 28th, 2022, in Playa Del Rey, California. They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Why go after ExxonMobil over recycling?

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Plastics Recycling Recycling Fossil fuels 105

Grist

JUNE 5, 2024

Victoria and Justin Huang, two 17-year-olds from The Woodlands College Park High School in Texas, designed a system that filters microplastic particles out of water using ultrasound waves. For my project that year, I actually did plastic pollution, which is how this kind of all started. Their project received the Gordon E. Justin: Ms.

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Microplastics Plastics Health Pollution 81

Grist

MAY 28, 2020

Want to know how much plastic is entering the ocean every year? A commonly cited figure — 8 million metric tons — comes from a decade-old estimate based on population and waste data, and scientists now believe the number could be significantly higher. I regret to inform you that nobody knows.

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Plastics Microplastics Health Soil 144

Envirotec Magazine

DECEMBER 1, 2021

360 million metric tonnes of new plastic was produced in 2018. A group from the University of Pittsburgh explains, and offers a view on why the world must transform plastic use from linear to circular. In 1950, 2 million metric tonnes of new plastic was produced globally. Where did it all go?

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Plastics Recycling Recycling Natural gas 130

Envirotec Magazine

JULY 27, 2022

A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and twigs. The bacteria break down the carbon compounds in plastic to use as food for their growth.

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Plastics Pollution Carbon Organic 130

Planet Pulse

OCTOBER 27, 2020

New research combining Planet’s high cadence satellite imagery and other innovative technologies has successfully found the sources and pathways of plastic pollution in the Caribbean Sea. A boom is filled with plastic, and yet was only able to collect small amounts of it due to much of the debris passing it by. km2 to 0.77km2.

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Plastics Energy Monitor Microplastics Building Energy Monitoring 124

Business Green

MAY 27, 2020

University of Plymouth-led study notes that microplastics shed from vehicle tyres are putting millions of square metres of UK waters at risk of contamination. Vehicle tyres have been confirmed as a leading source of microplastic pollution in the ocean and rivers, according to scientists.

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Microplastics Plastics Pollution Transportation 89

Grist

AUGUST 10, 2023

Last month, the American Chemistry Council, a petrochemical industry trade group, sent out a newsletter highlighting a major new report on what it presented as a promising solution to the plastic pollution crisis: using “recycled” plastic in construction materials. This already happens with materials that don’t have plastics in them.)

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Plastics Construction Recycling Recycling 98

Envirotec Magazine

MAY 11, 2023

New “bio” ropes made from biomaterials have the potential to replace conventional plastics of fossil origin in mussel and algae cultivation, say the groups behind their development, who claim sustainability advantages including up to 34% carbon footprint reduction compared to ropes made from conventional plastics.

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Plastics Carbon-negative Microplastics Biodegradable 264

Business Green

JULY 6, 2022

Research commissioned by Plastic Soup Foundation points to microplastics in feed pellets as possible cause for high content of plastic particles found in meat and dairy. Released today, the results of the study reveal 73 per cent of meat and dairy products tested by scientists contained microplastics.

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Microplastics Plastics Health Waste 39

Green Living Guy

OCTOBER 24, 2022

Small pieces of plastics are widely spread all over the world’s oceans and ingested by living creatures. Microplastics are found in zooplankton, fish, seabirds, whales, seals, and also humans. Yet, the long-term effects of this plastic pollution threat are still largely unknown.

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Microplastics Plastics Pollution Waste 40

Green Business Bureau

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Eco friendly bags for retail to remove sinlge-use plastic waste Eco friendly bags for retail address the damaging environmental impact of the common, single-use plastic (polyethylene) bag. These plastic bags aren’t biodegradable, meaning they reside in the environment and take up to 1000 years to break down.

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Retail Plastics Sustainability Biodegradable 78

AGreenLiving

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

In a recent study published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology Letters, scientists found 10 times more microplastic in babies’ feces than in adults’ Researchers discovered this in a pilot study that involved sifting through infants’ used diapers.

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Microplastics Plastics Medicine Health 36

Green Tech Challenge

MAY 23, 2019

For years we’ve listened to environmentalists and conservationists talk about the need to reduce plastic waste. This problem does not seem to be going away as quickly as it should.

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Microplastics Biodegradable Plastics Waste 40

Business Green

APRIL 11, 2021

With funding from the plastic bag charge Waitrose launched a £1m grant fund for innovative plastic-waste busting ideas - Hubbub's Trewin Restorick sets out the key achievements. It is estimated that lost fishing gear makes up as much as 46per cent of marine plastic pollution. Tackling hidden plastics.

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Plastics Pollution Microplastics Energy Monitor 95