Single-Use Plastics
Single-use plastics are a huge environmental problem that we can continue to address by changing our behaviours - Kim Borg
image by: Mother Jones
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How to Break Your Single-Use Plastics Habit
Some days, I feel like I can’t escape disposable plastics. My favorite deli wraps sandwiches in it, smoothie-cart staff serve drinks in clear cups and the office cafeteria keeps buckets of single-serve condiments and plastic utensils on display. These disposables, known as single-use plastics, are cheap, relatively strong and hygienic to use. But they cause problems around the globe.
In 2016, the world generated 242 million tons of plastic waste, according to The World Bank. North America, which it defines as Bermuda, Canada and the United States, is the third largest producer of plastic waste, totaling more than 35 million tons.
The sheer amount of waste isn’t the only…
Resources
Avoiding single-use plastic was becoming normal, until coronavirus. Here’s how we can return to good habits
The good news is we can return to our plastic-avoiding habits. It just might look a little a different.
COVID-19 has resurrected single-use plastics – are they back to stay?
COVID-19 is changing how the U.S. disposes of waste. It is also threatening hard-fought victories that restricted or eliminated single-use disposable items, especially plastic, in cities and towns across the nation.
Goodbye to Plastic Food Packaging?
Today I cringe at how often I once unspooled all that “single-use plastic,” as I now think of it.
Here Is Who’s Behind the Global Surge in Single-Use Plastic
A new report shows that a surprisingly small number of big companies and banks are behind the manufacturing and financing of much of the world’s single-use plastic.
How plastic “waste” is getting a greener second life
New innovations are creating a more sustainable future for single-use plastics.
Meet the Sisters Behind the Single-Use Plastic Ban in Bali
They witnessed the pollution firsthand. So they decided to act.
Nine Ways To Ditch The Single-Use Plastic Bag
Single-use plastic bags are everywhere—from grocery and department stores to landfills, tree limbs, lakes and oceans. It’s probably because people use an estimated 100 billion of the bags per year in the United States alone. And less than 10% are recycled.
Single-use plastics a serious climate change hazard, study warns
Production must end now, says first ever estimate of plastic’s cradle-to-grave impact.
China To Ban All Single-Use Plastics
China, one of the world’s largest consumer of plastics, just announced its plan to ban single-use plastics across the country. The proposal, announced Sunday aims to reduce plastic waste that has become ubiquitous in Chinese cities, promote recycling and green packaging and curb their overflowing garbage dumps. The policy will ban the production and sale of disposable plastic tableware and cotton swabs by the end of 2020
Consumer Brands Seek Ways to Make Paper Mimic Plastic
Consumer-goods companies are increasingly substituting paper for plastic packaging but face a big challenge: how to stop products from going stale or soggy.
Half of All Plastic That Has Ever Existed Was Made in the Past 13 Years
Plastic production is rapidly accelerating, according to an ambitious new paper—but only 9 percent of it gets recycled.
How to clean up our universal plastic tragedy
Governments and individuals all need to reconsider how we use and dispose of our single-use plastics (SUPs). Within just two generations we have produced and discarded so much plastic that we are now literally drowning in it.
Respect the Straw Ban
The anti–plastic straw campaign is looking like a movement, which is good, even if it doesn’t really matter.
Sustainable Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Packaging Should Be Everywhere
With the likes of mushroom wrap and sugar-cane plastic, the list of environmentally-friendly alternatives is growing longer. So why is plastic still so widespread?
The Archaeology of the Disposable Mask
And the case for wearing one that’s reusable.
There are some single-use plastics we truly need. The rest we can live without
Most of us will get along just fine without throwaway plastic in our daily lives. But there are nevertheless many legitimate applications for single-use plastics.
Winning Solutions To Single-Use Plastic Bags Are Being Tested By Some Major Retailers
“The Beyond the Bag Initiative is exploring a diverse suite of solutions that can be deployed in the short, medium, and long term.
How to Break Your Single-Use Plastics Habit
Ditch your one-and-done straws, spoons, and containers with this kit of affordable, reusable stand-ins.
7 ways you can counter the scourge of single-use plastics
Humanity’s decades-old addiction to disposable plastic, from straws to shopping bags, is choking the world’s rivers and seas, threatening wildlife and contaminating the food chain. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this problem worse as the use of disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) soars.
Beyond Plastics
Launched in January 2019, Beyond Plastics is a nationwide project based at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, that pairs the wisdom and experience of environmental policy experts with the energy and creativity of college students to build a vibrant and effective anti-plastics movement. Our mission is to end plastic pollution by being a catalyst for change at every level of our society.
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