03 Mar 2022
The much-anticipated talks on a potential ‘Plastic pact’ at UNEA 5 has produced a treaty on plastic waste which has been described as ‘historic’. We covered the run up to the talks in detail over previous weeks. There were reports late in the day that that manufacturers had been lobbying to weaken the treaty proposal, as […]
01 Mar 2022
Reducing use of plastic, made from oil and gas, has implications for the climate as well as pollution levels, Inger Andersen, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said. More than 100 nations convening in Nairobi are expected to take the first steps toward establishing a historic global treaty to tackle the plastic crisis […]
22 Feb 2022
Global survey sees ‘nearly nine in 10 people supporting a UN plastic pollution treaty but will governments follow?’ As we covered recently, the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly takes place online and in Nairobi at the end of February 2022. A key element of the summit will be the potential for a […]
17 Aug 2021
Marine animals may eat plastic rubbish in the sea because an additive found in common items such as water bottles and yoghurt pots lead them to mistake the debris for food. A study using hermit crabs has shown their respiration rate increases significantly in response to low concentrations of oleamide and that they are attracted […]
22 Sep 2020
The effort to promote recycling has been too successful. That is the argument being made by some environmentalists, as they point to a perception among consumers that if they carefully sort their glass, paper and plastic, they aren’t polluting the planet. “The message about recycling is so positive that it becomes an incentive to consider […]
13 Oct 2019
Scotland has become the first part of the UK to ban the sale of plastic cotton buds. New regulations have come into force prohibiting the manufacture and sale of the items, as part of measures to reduce plastic waste. Environmental campaigners at the Marine Conservative Society, who have cleared more than 150,000 plastic cotton bud sticks from Scotland’s […]
23 May 2019
Defra ‘Environment Secretary Michael Gove has today confirmed a ban on plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds in England, following overwhelming public support for the move. Following an open consultation, a ban on the supply of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds will come into force in April 2020. The ban […]
22 Oct 2018
In England, it is estimated that annually we use 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic stirrers and 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds. An estimated 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets and can end up in waterways and oceans. Even though non-plastic alternatives are readily available, these single-use plastic items are used for just a few […]
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