Ocean plastics

A new study by scientists in Italy has shone a light on the way lobsters digest plastic particles, finding that their stomach actually grinds them up into tiny fragments that can pose a risk to smaller creatures in the food chain.

Scientists at Cardiff University have come up with a way of estimating the maximum size of plastic pieces different marine creatures can consume, which could help assess the risks different types of waste pose to species around the globe

Whether it's entangling marine animals or forming giant floating "garbage patches," oceanic plastic waste is a huge problem. There may be new hope however, in the form of what is claimed to be a better type of marine-biodegradable plastic.

Looking to learn more about the damage plastic waste causes marine animals, scientists have found that fish subjected to high concentrations of microplastic fibers can experience profound changes to their respiratory and reproductive systems.

With its huge barriers now successfully collecting trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the Ocean Cleanup Project is heading upstream to tackle the issue closer to the source with "The Interceptor," a system to pull waste from rivers.

After years in development, the Ocean Cleanup has today announced that its prototype is capturing plastic debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

​​After a stint on the sidelines, The Ocean Cleanup Project is bouncing back into action following a few upgrades, with the team now hopeful it has a system better equipped to take on the massive task of plastic pollution in the ocean.​

A new study is raising concerns over the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans. For the first time researchers investigated how a common ocean bacteria, responsible for producing over 10 percent of oxygen in the atmosphere, is impaired by chemicals that can leach out of plastic products.

Things aren't exactly going to plan for the Ocean Cleanup Project. Inspections of the approximately 600-meter-long barrier have uncovered a problematic break in the chain, prompting a return to shore for repairs.

​Around six weeks have passed since the Ocean Cleanup Project installed its trash-catching system in the Pacific, and it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the huge floating barrier so far. The team reports that attempts to overcome some initial teething problems haven’t exactly gone to plan

With the Ocean Cleanup Project's first system entering service in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch one month ago, there are some good signs and some bad, including an apparent inability of the huge floating barrier to retain plastic trash for very long after it is caught.