Plastic
The Waxworm Is A Caterpillar That Eats Plastic
It's pretty common knowledge that plastic can literally take forever to break down. That's because the complex polymer molecules that make it up are …
RecyclingTragic seal photo shows dangers of throwing away plastic
<b>Upsetting photos show how a seal caught in plastic waste died before medics could save it last week.</b><p>It swam into the loop of plastic packing tape …
HackingEven your sea salt is almost certainly contaminated with plastic
What goes around, comes around, eventually. The latest karmic zinger is how likely you now are to find plastic particles, from packaging you might have once used, in your sea salt.<p>Each year, humans dump 13 million metric tons of plastic into the ocean. Some of that plastic begins its life as tiny …
OceansWaiting for 'rakshaks', foraging cows choke on plastic across India
As Atul Yadav sets up his food cart in the sweltering morning heat, flies are not the only guests feasting on garbage dumped on the side of a road in …
IndiaScientific Journal Retracts Controversial Paper Claiming That Fish Prefer Plastic Over Real Food
The esteemed journal <i>Science</i> last week retracted a research paper on the impact of so-called microplastics on fish. The research received widespread …
ResearchFAQs
Buying / Ordering / Shipping Questions<p>When are you shipping? Can you ship mine sooner?<p>Unfortunately, we can’t ship any units sooner than our …
3D PrintingHey Mr. Green! Do Larger Containers Reduce Packaging Waste?
Mr. Green dusts off his pocket calculator<p><b>Q: My wife has drafted our household into a campaign to reduce the plastic packaging we consume. However,</b> …
RecyclingNew Recycling Process Turns Waste Plastic Into Oil
New Recycling Process Turns Waste Plastic Into Oil<p>Rather than dumping waste plastic into our oceans, Recycling Technologies created a machine that …
RecyclingThis is how caterpillars might be the heroes the environment needs
The main character in one of our favorite childhood picture books may be the unlikely hero we need right now. An intriguing new study shows that …
WormsFEATURE-Kenya seeks to cure plastic bag addiction with blanket ban
Can Kenya's fourth attempt to get rid of plastic bags, spurred by a social media campaign, finally start to reduce pollution?<p>By Moraa Obiria<p>NAKURU, …
AfricaThis is how hundreds of tons of plastic trash end up in Arctic Ocean
Plastic trash is now so ubiquitous that researchers have found hundreds of tons of it floating in the Arctic Ocean.<p>It may not sound like much, but it’s a surprising amount given the area’s sparse population. The researchers who measured the plastic debris in the waters near the north pole described …
OceansThis $6,800 house was built from recycled bricks in just 5 days
While it may look unassuming at first glance, this house is truly revolutionary. The 430 square foot home is made from LEGO-like recycled plastic …
LifestyleGive up the plastic that’s poisoning planet Earth, says BBC presenter Simon Reeve
Planet Earth is being “poisoned by plastic”, TV presenter Simon Reeve has warned as he pledged to live without single-use plastic for a month.<p>The …
RecyclingVolvic water recalled in Japan amid plastic fear
<b>About 3.7 million bottles of Volvic mineral water are being recalled in Japan, over fears pieces of plastic have got into some of the products.</b><p>Local distributor Kirin Beverage said part of a bottle-filling machine in the French Volvic factory had been damaged, and fallen into the water …
BusinessThis House was Built in 5 Days Using Recycled Plastic Bricks
Ten years ago when Colombian Fernando Llanos tried to build his own house in Cundinamarca, he realized that moving the materials from Bogota was …
ConstructionPaper or plastic? Canadian scientist at centre of grocery debate
A Guelph food scientist has found himself at the centre of what may be the world’s longest-running grocery debate: paper or plastic?<p>In this case, the issue is not bags but boxes – specifically, the boxes used to deliver produce from farms to grocery stores. Keith Warriner, a University of Guelph …
RecyclingWomen in Uganda Are Turning Plastic Straw Waste Into Art – Creating Jobs and Cleaning the Planet
Plastic is, without a doubt, making our life a lot easier. But that, of course, is not the end of the story. Currently, it is also one of the biggest …
RecyclingUnited Kingdom testing durable roads made of recycled plastic
Why it matters to you<p>Plastic roads are a win for the environment, government budgets, and the quality of streets we drive on. MacRebur is a startup …
RecyclingThese Worms Can Eat Plastic Shopping Bags!
Could plastic-eating worms be the answer to our pollution problem?<p>Plastic takes a toll on the environment at every stage. It’s made of synthetic …
LifestyleGet Inspired By These 5 People Who Have Found a Productive Way to Repurpose Plastic Waste!
Plastic, of some kind, can be found everywhere you turn in modern society. It is impossible to walk into an average grocery store without seeing huge …
Vegan RecipesThe Pantry Detox: A Brilliant, Clutter-Free Organizational Approach
We’ve long been on a mission to cut out plastic packaging in the kitchen, which is a surprisingly tough mandate. For one, it’s generally a good idea …
HackingSolar-powered Trashpresso converts plastic and fabric waste into floor tiles
<b>A 40-foot shipping container platform holds a complete mobile waste recycling plant capable of upcycling plastic and fabric waste into architectural</b> …
RecyclingMeet the Sahrawi refugee building homes from plastic bottles in the desert
<b>TINDOUF, Algeria</b> - With temperatures soaring beyond 50 degrees Celsius and sand storms wrecking havoc on the Sahrawi refugees inhabiting the adobe …
RefugeesWorms Can Eat Plastic But No One's Sure How
An accidental discovery leads to more questions.<p>Wax worms can eat through plastic bags. No one's quite sure how yet, but the finding is an exciting one that comes through unconventional means.<p>Federica Bertocchini is a biologist at Spain's Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria, but …
BiologyCoral Gables will join long list of cities, countries in banning plastic bags
David Lewis remembers what it was like a few years ago immediately after the city of San Jose, California, passed a law prohibiting supermarkets and …
RecyclingA Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Plastic Bags, Researchers Say
Researchers in Europe have found that the larvae of a common insect have an unusual ability to digest plastic, a discovery that could lead to biotechnical advances that help deplete the continual buildup of one of the world’s most stubborn pollutants.<p>Scientists discovered that the wax worm, a …
BiologyUK startup uses recycled plastic to build stronger roads
Less oil, more waste plastic<p>We’ve seen the birth of futuristic solar roads and even a return to retro gravel roads, but now there’s a new player on the street: recycled plastic. British engineer Toby McCartney has devised an innovative process to replace much of the crude oil-based asphalt in …
RoadsPlastic-eating caterpillars could help get rid of the world’s waste
If scientists can find the enzymes in the caterpillar’s digestive tracts that’s doing the eating<p>Plastic is fantastic. It’s cheap, durable, and doesn’t react to the usual organisms that break down organic matter. This has made it incredibly useful for the packaging industry, but has also led to …
BiologyThis mobile game lets you 'clean up' plastic pollution from the ocean
Plastic bags, straws, bottles, and toys clutter the world's oceans, from the depths of the Mariana Trench up to the frigid North Pole.<p>For most land dwellers, it's an invisible problem. We do our best to recycle, or use canvas shopping totes, then largely forget about the enormous piles of plastic …
OceansThis Colorful Ball is Helping Keep Millions of Plastic Microfibers (From Our Clothes) Out of the Ocean
It is now common knowledge (we hope) that the world’s oceans are filled with tons of plastic waste. Sadly, the truth is each year, about 8.8 million …
Vegan Recipes