Hacker News with Generative AI: Plastic Pollution

Technofossils: Humanity's eternal testament will be plastic bags, cheap clothes (theguardian.com)
As an eternal testament of humanity, plastic bags, cheap clothes and chicken bones are not a glorious legacy. But two scientists exploring which items from our technological civilisation are most likely to survive for many millions of years as fossils have reached an ironic but instructive conclusion: fast food and fast fashion will be our everlasting geological signature.

Archaeology, Anthropology, Environmentalism, Plastic Pollution, Fashion

61 points by pseudolus 38 days ago | 29 comments

One Child's Outsized Influence on the Debate over Plastic Straws (2018) (npr.org)
People are talking a lot about plastic straws these days — how international corporations like Starbucks and Marriott International are banning them, and the deleterious impact they have on the environment.

Environmentalism, Plastic Pollution, Social Impact

8 points by Jimmc414 53 days ago | 4 comments

Thailand bans imports of plastic waste (nationthailand.com)
Importers in Thailand will not be allowed to bring plastic waste into the kingdom from January 1, 2025 as the country moves to prevent hazards to the environment and public health, the Department of Foreign Trade announced on Tuesday.

Environmental Protection, Thailand, Waste Management, Plastic Pollution

6 points by geox 70 days ago | 0 comments

Municipal tap water higher in microplastic particles than most bottled water (plos.org)
The EU Directive 2020/2184 on consumable water quality recently proposed methodological approaches to the detection of MPs in potable water in the size range of 20–5000 μm.

Environment, Science, Health, Water Quality, Plastic Pollution

4 points by ck2 76 days ago | 2 comments

2024: A Record-Breaking Year for the Ocean Cleanup (theoceancleanup.com)
In 2024, The Ocean Cleanup made significant progress toward ridding the world’s oceans of plastic. From scaling up our work in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to expanding river cleanup efforts globally, every milestone brought us closer to solving this critical environmental challenge.

Environmentalism, Ocean Cleanup, Plastic Pollution

57 points by ksec 88 days ago | 28 comments

Oil giants blocked a treaty to curb plastic pollution; countries will try again (theverge.com)
International negotiations to create a legally binding treaty to stem the tide of plastic pollution ended in a stalemate on Monday — pushing talks past their initial deadline and into next year.

Environment, Politics, International Relations, Plastic Pollution

3 points by rntn 121 days ago | 0 comments

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is recyclable and ocean-degradable (riken.jp)
Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a durable plastic that won’t contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans.

Plastic Pollution, Materials Science, Environmental Science, Recycling

7 points by JeanKage 127 days ago | 2 comments

California Bans All Plastic Bags After Its First Effort Backfired (nytimes.com)
California Bans All Plastic Bags After Its First Effort Backfired

Environmental Policy, California, Plastic Pollution, Legislation

7 points by edward 190 days ago | 1 comments

California law bans all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores (apnews.com)
“Paper or plastic” will no longer be a choice at grocery store checkout lines in California under a new law signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom that bans all plastic shopping bags.

California, Environmental Policy, Plastic Pollution, Grocery Stores, Legislation

37 points by geox 192 days ago | 63 comments

Scientists announce new method for breaking down common form of plastic (yahoo.com)

Science, Environment, Plastic Pollution, Materials Science

15 points by rmason 202 days ago | 0 comments

Estuaries and coastlines capture most plastic before it gets out to sea (phys.org)

Environmental Science, Plastic Pollution, Coastal Ecology

9 points by PaulHoule 238 days ago | 1 comments

The White House Has a Plan to Slash Plastic Use in the U.S. (nytimes.com)

Environmental Policy, Plastic Pollution

15 points by lxm 256 days ago | 2 comments

Plastic particles in bottled water (nih.gov)