Plastic waste

While the use of recycled plastics is normally considered a noble endeavor, a new study says it's time to think twice. In an analysis of the material from more than 10 different countries, hundreds of potentially harmful chemicals were uncovered.

UK shipyard MMS has added a new member to its fleet of floating-debris collection vessels. The latest Envirocat is the first to clean up waterways without releasing engine fumes into the environment.

For the first time, scientists have identified a biochemical mechanism linking attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder with common but problematic compound Bisphenol A (BPA), which can leach into food and drink from packaging.

Researchers have harvested hydrogen from waste plastics using a low-emissions method. They say it not only solves environmental problems, but the value of the graphene by-product could offset the costs of producing hydrogen.

For all its uses, plastic is unfortunately one of our least sustainable materials. Now, scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a way to engineer bacteria to produce raw materials that can be made into plastics that are completely recyclable.

We may soon be finishing off a box of cereal and then eating the bag it came in. Researchers have turned to bacteria-produced cellulose to create a single-use packaging material that is sustainable, biodegradable and, what’s more, edible.

CO2 emissions and plastic waste are two major environmental problems, but a Cambridge device may help tackle both at once. The team demonstrated a new version of their solar reactor, which uses sunlight to convert CO2 and plastic into useful chemicals.

Globally, micro- and nanoplastics and plastic additives are widespread across our food supply. While we have an understanding of how they get there, there remains a massive gap in what we know about their effects on our health.

The Ocean Cleanup has announced a second Indonesian river trash removal mission. The solar-powered Interceptor 020 will prevent around 1,000 tons of plastic waste flowing into the Java Sea each year from the Cisadane River.

Newly discovered cold-adapted microorganisms "eat" plastic at temperatures lower than currently required. The discovery is the first step towards developing a more effective industrial-scale method of ridding the planet of plastic pollution.

Polypropylene is one of the most commonly used plastics but there are problems when it comes to recycling. Researchers have developed a new way of breaking down this troublesome plastic by enlisting the help of a couple of common fungi.

The amount of single-use plastics the world disposed of during the pandemic continues to be a huge environmental headache. A clever new upcycling method, though, takes the trash and turns it into one increasingly lucrative piece of tech, carbon dots.