Scientists discover fastest degrading bioplastic in seawater
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States have developed a bioplastic that degrades 15 times faster than traditional plastics in seawater.
Spinning ‘cogs’ river cleaning system collects plastic 24/7
River Cleaning, an Italian startup, has developed an innovative rotating buoy system for removing plastic waste from rivers.
Breakdown breakthrough: Previously unrecyclable plastic mix now recyclable
From DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory 22/09/23 Almost 80% of plastic in the waste stream ends up in landfills or accumulates in the environment. Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have developed a technology that converts a conventionally unrecyclable mixture of plastic waste into useful chemicals, presenting a new strategy in the toolkit to combat global plastic […]
Paper drinking straws may be worse for the environment than plastic versions – innovation opp.
From Taylor & Francis Group 25/08/23 Long-lasting “forever chemicals”, which can cause damaging health issues, found in 18/20 brands of paper straws “Eco-friendly” paper drinking straws contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals, a new study has concluded. In the first analysis of its kind in Europe, and only the second in the world, Belgian researchers […]
Making renewable, infinitely recyclable plastics using bacteria
By DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY 04/08/23 Plastic waste is a problem. Most plastics can’t be recycled, and many use finite, polluting petrochemicals as the basic ingredients. But that’s changing. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, researchers successfully engineered microbes to make biological alternatives for the starting ingredients in an infinitely recyclable plastic known […]
Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world’s oceans
From Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems 27/07/23 Roboticists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling […]
Billions of nanoplastics released when microwaving baby food containers: kills 75% of lab kidney cells
From UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN 21/07/23 The fastest way to heat food and drink might also rank as the fastest route to ingesting massive quantities of minuscule plastic particles, says new research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Experiments have shown that microwaving plastic baby food containers available on the shelves of U.S. stores can release huge […]
This road is made from plastic waste and old tires
From UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 20/07/23 Millions of roads across the United States are constructed with asphalt pavement that’s deteriorating over time. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are using recyclables, including plastic waste, as a sustainable solution to fix America’s fracturing road system. In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), researchers from […]
Eco-friendly shampoo bottle made of soap
By Charles Carter, 14/9/22 Dutch innovators SOAPBOTTLE have developed a shampoo and shower gel bottle made from soap to help reduce plastic waste. The idea is that when you’ve finished with the liquid inside, you use up the soap packaging, until there’s none of it left. The startup team, consisting of three women and one […]