Plastic

The Trump administration pointed at China, Indonesia, and others as the main source of trash in our oceans, but the U.S. and other wealthy nations contribute to the problem.

Plastics have made their way to every corner of the globe.

A transport vessel is berthed to load waste materials at the port in Subic Bay, north of Manila, Philippines, on May 30th, 2019.

An emissions mystery is solved, Siri contributes to gender bias, and tiny microbes could eat away at our ocean litter problem.

Giving consumers an idea of what a can or glass might be transformed into makes them far more likely to recycle it.

Here's what some cities, states, and countries are doing about it.

Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, and Connecticut are also considering polystyrene bans as resistance to single-use plastic increases.

According to a new study, scientists found as much microplastic pollution in the air in this remote area as in densely populated cities like Paris.

A new book documents the plastic pollution crisis, the affect of that pollution on wildlife and people, and initiatives that have been created to tackle the problem.

The proposed law would prevent food service businesses and schools from providing or selling any foam food containers, plates, cups, trays, or egg cartons.

India just banned imported scraps of plastic, leaving countries like the U.S. with limited overseas options for where to send their plastic waste.

A sculpture made from over 2,500 plastic bottles is seen outside the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs on February 25th, 2019, in London, England.

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing threat to the survival of sea turtles.

Seagulls search for food near a sewage discharge area next to piles of plastic bottles washed away by the water on the seaside of Ouzai, south of Beirut, on July 19th, 2018.

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Alaska Airlines has become the first airline to renounce the use of plastic straws in an effort to raise awareness about the use of single-use plastics that pollute the world's oceans.

Groups of volunteers clean up plastic waste on a beach in Lima, Peru, during World Environment Day on June 5th, 2018.

Campaigns against single-use plastic waste are picking up steam.

Instead of shaming disabled consumers who rely on straws, let's hold producers of plastic financially responsible for their waste.

Europe announced it will seek to ban the use of certain common plastic items, including plastic cutlery, straws, plates, swabs, and fishing gear.

The massive amounts of plastic trash in marine environments may be leading to toxic metals entering the food chain.

The state is moving to reduce plastic pollution by implementing a groundbreaking ban on polystyrene containers that are commonly used throughout the island in the food industry.

New evidence of our strong psychological need to rationalize the status quo.

New research shows the extent to which our dependence on plastic is infecting, damaging, and killing coral reefs from Thailand to Australia.