article thumbnail

As cities and systems scale up, does waste scale accordingly?

Envirotec Magazine

The study explores how three types of waste production — municipal solid waste, wastewater, and greenhouse gas emissions — scale with city size (image credit: Elisa Heinrich Mora). A recent study attempts to predict the future state of urban ecosystems, and suggests the need for a new science of waste.

Waste 147
article thumbnail

Why the Oil and Chemical Lobby Is Taking Aim at New York’s Plastic Waste Bill

DeSmogBlog

Last week at the New York State Capitol, more than 300 advocates joined lawmakers for a rally to urge the passage of a landmark waste reduction bill that proponents say is the best piece of legislation in the country aimed at lessening plastic trash. percent of the plastic waste produced in the country per year.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

EU Digital Product Passports aim to track items through the product life-cycle

Envirotec Magazine

Since the 31st of January and until the 5th of December, the European Commission is conducting consultation on various product categories that will be impacted by this law, such as textiles and footwear, furniture, cosmetics, aluminum, plastic and polymer, paper, and glass.

Law 227
article thumbnail

Where there's hope for speeding up business action on plastics

GreenBiz

Time isn't on the side of those who hope to prevent the projection by the Pew Charitable Trusts that plastic waste flows into the oceans will double in the next 20 years. Already, if all the world's plastic waste could be shaped into a plastic shopping bag, all of Earth would fit inside of it, noted Morgan Stanley CMO and CSO Audrey Choi. "I

Plastics 344
article thumbnail

The search for the source of plastic pollution

Grist

From large pieces, such as bottles, cups, and even a Smurf action figure, to tiny microplastics — fragments, films, fibers, or foams less than 5 mm long — plastic is one of the most common pollutants this group will find, mirroring what cleanup crews regularly see across the country. Is it dog waste? Is the trash from camping?

Plastics 112
article thumbnail

Smokers blind to devastating impact of butts on the environment, suggests survey

Envirotec Magazine

The survey showed over a third of smokers (34%) believe it takes less than a year for a cigarette butt to decompose but the truth is it doesn’t ever decompose and can take up to 10 years to start breaking down into microplastics. Environment Bill, would require the tobacco industry to pay the full disposal costs of tobacco waste products.

Plastics 130
article thumbnail

Nurdles? The worst toxic waste you’ve probably never heard of.

Grist

A lot of toxic chemicals – which in the case of Sri Lanka are already in the water – are hydrophobic [repel water], so they gather on the surface of microplastics. The worst toxic waste you’ve probably never heard of. “But they act as toxic sponges. In 2019, 342 containers of plastic pellets spilled into the North Sea.

Waste 101