Plastic
The EPA Blames Six Asian Nations That The U.S. Exports Plastic Waste to for Ocean Pollution
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.
There Is No Escaping the Reach of Microplastic Pollution
Plastics have made their way to every corner of the globe.
Viewfinder: The Philippines Returns Imported Plastic Waste to Canada
A transport vessel is berthed to load waste materials at the port in Subic Bay, north of Manila, Philippines, on May 30th, 2019.
Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
An emissions mystery is solved, Siri contributes to gender bias, and tiny microbes could eat away at our ocean litter problem.
How to Get People to Recycle: Show Them the Results
Giving consumers an idea of what a can or glass might be transformed into makes them far more likely to recycle it.
A New Report Documents the Carbon Footprint of Plastics
Here's what some cities, states, and countries are doing about it.
Maine Is the First State to Ban Styrofoam
Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, and Connecticut are also considering polystyrene bans as resistance to single-use plastic increases.
Researchers Discover Microplastics in the Air of the Pyrenees Mountains
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.
The Earth's Oceans Are Drowning in Plastic
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.
Maryland Could Be the First State to Ban Styrofoam Food Containers
The proposed law would prevent food service businesses and schools from providing or selling any foam food containers, plates, cups, trays, or egg cartons.
What Does America Do With Recycled Plastic?
India just banned imported scraps of plastic, leaving countries like the U.S. with limited overseas options for where to send their plastic waste.
Viewfinder: Greenpeace Campaigns for a Deposit Return Scheme in the U.K. With a Giant Plastic Bottle
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.
Researchers Find 'Startling' Amounts of Plastic in the Bodies of Sea Turtle Hatchlings
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing threat to the survival of sea turtles.
Viewfinder: Plastic Bottles Pile Up on the Coast in Lebanon
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.
The Lede, Issue #24: The Ongoing Crisis in Flint, the EPA Under Andrew Wheeler, Plastic Straw Bans, and More
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The Fight Against Plastic Pollution Takes to the Skies
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.
Viewfinder: United Nations Issues Global Challenge to Reduce Ocean Pollution for World Environment Day
Groups of volunteers clean up plastic waste on a beach in Lima, Peru, during World Environment Day on June 5th, 2018.
Advocates Around the World Fight to Reduce Plastic Pollution (In photos)
Campaigns against single-use plastic waste are picking up steam.
Banning Straws Won't Save the Oceans
Instead of shaming disabled consumers who rely on straws, let's hold producers of plastic financially responsible for their waste.
Viewfinder: Europe Struggles to Combat Pollution by Plastic
Europe announced it will seek to ban the use of certain common plastic items, including plastic cutlery, straws, plates, swabs, and fishing gear.
Is Plastic Waste Poisoning Our Seafood?
The massive amounts of plastic trash in marine environments may be leading to toxic metals entering the food chain.
Could Hawaii Become the First State to Ban Styrofoam Food Containers?
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.
How the Intolerable Becomes Acceptable
New evidence of our strong psychological need to rationalize the status quo.
Our Plastic Waste Is Destroying the World's Coral Reefs
New research shows the extent to which our dependence on plastic is infecting, damaging, and killing coral reefs from Thailand to Australia.