New Atlas

Materials Audio available

World-first aerogel is made from plastic bottles, and has many potential uses

Ben Coxworth November 2, 2018

Pop bottles are one of the most common types of plastic waste, so the more ways that we can find of recycling them, the better. With that in mind, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed an inexpensive method of converting such bottles into a very useful aerogel.

The process, which is said to be easily scalable for mass production, can produce an A4-paper-sized ...

Environment

EU Parliament votes in favor of landmark ban on single-use plastics

Nick Lavars October 25, 2018

The European Parliament has just announced plans to tackle the tide of plastic pollution. Members of the European Parliament have this week voted in favor of a plan that would see items like single-use cutlery and straws banned from 2021 onwards.

Single-use plastics would be banned in the EU from 2021 under a plan voted on by ...

Environment Audio available

Ocean Cleanup system installed and ready for work at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Nick Lavars October 17, 2018

It has been a long journey for the Ocean Cleanup Project, but after years of development and a 1,300-plus-mile trip through the open water, its first system is now installed at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the single biggest accumulation of ocean plastics in the world.

The Ocean Cleanup Project has installed its first system in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Environment Audio available

SodaStream embarks on marine waste cleanup mission in Honduras

Nick Lavars October 16, 2018

SodaStream is looking to play an active role in tackling the mounting problem of plastics in the ocean, starting with a pilot project testing a new device to collect marine waste from waters off the coast of Roatán, Honduras.

SodaStream has dubbed its first ocean cleanup system Holy Turtle

Environment Audio available

Plastic waste increases tenfold within a decade on remote Atlantic islands

Nick Lavars October 9, 2018

As we start to really get a grasp on the magnitude of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, elsewhere in the ocean plastic waste is mounting on the shores of some of the most remote islands, with a new study revealing the true extent of the mess and the threat it poses to local species.

Accumulation of plastic waste on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena

Environment Audio available

The Ocean Cleanup picks out marine plastics using infrared from air

Nick Lavars September 25, 2018

The Ocean Cleanup project has been experimenting with a new technique to fill in some of the blanks and has, what it says, is the first proof of concept for using a form of infrared imagery to quantify marine plastic pollution.

The Ocean Cleanup carried out an aerial survey of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2016

Environment Audio available

Ocean Cleanup system launches for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Nick Lavars September 9, 2018

The Ocean Cleanup Project’s long-awaited collection system has been launched and is now en route for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, ready to chip away at the largest accumulation of ocean plastics in the world.

Launched on Saturday from San Francisco, the completed system is now headed for the Great Pacific ...

Environment Audio available

Ocean Cleanup system completed and ready to be towed out to sea

Nick Lavars September 3, 2018

After more than five years of development, the moment of truth is fast arriving for the Ocean Cleanup Project. Team members added the finishing touches to the trash-catching system over the weekend, with less than a week to go until it is towed out towards the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Ocean Cleanup Project is an ambitious venture to clean up plastic waste from the ocean

Environment

Wood waste and crab shells may find use in compostable food wrap

Ben Coxworth July 23, 2018

Cellulose and chitin are the world's first- and second-most common biopolymers, found in plants and crustacean shells (among other places) respectively. Georgia Tech scientists have now devised a method of combining the two, to produce plastic-like compostable food wrap.

Prof. J. Carson Meredith displays a piece of the material

Environment

Giant Pac-Man: Ocean Cleanup's final design to eat away at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Nick Lavars July 22, 2018

The Ocean Cleanup’s trash-collecting barriers have been through a number of iterations since their conception around five years ago. The latest cleverly harnesses the power of wind and surface waves to autonomously sweep through the area, gathering up plastic waste as it goes.

The Ocean Cleanup Project expects that its trash-catching barriers can clean up 50 percent of the ...