11 Feb 2025
Microplastics are an incredibly widespread pollutant, found buried in Antarctic sea ice, inside the guts of marine animals inhabiting the deepest ocean trenches, and in drinking water around the world. More than 120 trillion microplastics (i.e. plastic particles under 5 mm) are estimated to have entered the global ocean. In the ocean, microplastics […]
11 Jun 2024
Following the ceremonies of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron hosted the President of the United States Joseph R. Biden Jr. in Paris for a State visit. The two presidents reaffirmed several joint policies and initiatives, including those on Plastic pollution, Biodiversity and Ocean Protection. An […]
30 Apr 2024
The UK’s bottle deposit and return scheme (DRS) has faced yet another delay, pushing its launch back to October 2027, four years later than originally planned. The BBC has reported that the delay was primarily attributed to disagreements between the UK and Welsh governments over whether to include glass in the scheme. Prolonged negotiations Initially, […]
22 Apr 2024
Global Plastics Treaty Delegates gather in Canada for the latest round of negotiations towards a Global Plastics Treaty(including in the marine environment), with analysis by EIA finding that the Treaty ‘could halve plastic production emissions’ and Pew puts forward its recommendations for a ‘Global Solution’. Meanwhile, research shows that plant-based plastic releases nine times less […]
09 Apr 2024
New research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and the University of Toronto in Canada, estimates up to 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor. Dr Denise Hardesty, Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO, said this is the first estimate of how much plastic waste ends up on the ocean floor, […]
19 Mar 2024
By Samantha Garrard, Senior Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Plastic has been found in every single part of the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor and from the tropics to the poles. Land-based sources of plastic account for the majority of this pollution, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among […]
10 Mar 2024
By Samantha Garrard, Senior Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Plastic has been found in every single part of the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor and from the tropics to the poles. Land-based sources of plastic account for the majority of this pollution, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among […]
05 Mar 2024
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is intensifying efforts to safeguard the safe transportation of plastic pellets on ships, recognizing the potential environmental damage if released into the sea. During the meeting at IMO Headquarters from February 19 to 23, the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) reached a consensus on draft recommendations for […]
