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All that plastic in the ocean is a climate change problem, too

Grist

When you think of plastic pollution, you might imagine ocean “ garbage patches ” swirling with tens of millions of plastic bottles and shopping bags. But unfolding alongside the “macroplastic” pollution crisis is another threat caused by much smaller particles: microplastics. So where do microplastics come in?

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Graphene-based packaging presented as first truly biodegradeable and compostable alternative to plastic

Envirotec Magazine

In addition, some bioplastics produce methane gas when they decompose, a compound with a global warming potential 25 times that of CO2. It’s because they need specific manmade conditions to biodegrade, and many degrade into microplastics, which contaminate our oceans and food chain for centuries”.

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Understanding the Anthropocene, Resilience Thinking, and the Future of Industry

Green Business Bureau

During this era, humans began releasing concentrated amounts of carbon and other emissions, causing extreme air pollution and marking the start of the constant rise of atmospheric CO2, leading us to where we are today. . The Anthropocene.

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Aluminum cans vs plastic bottles: which is best for the environment?

AGreenLiving

By the 1960s, the first occurrence of plastic pollution in the oceans was recorded. Over 90% of the plastics found in the ocean is comprised of microplastics, which commonly end up ingested by aquatic animals, often killing them through choking or toxicity. Plastic bottles are made from petroleum, or “crude oil.”

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How Big a Difference Can Biodegradable Straws Make to the Environment?

Green Business Bureau

All materials do this, even plastics, which break down into what we call microplastics – i.e. plastic particles smaller than 5mm. Biodegradable Straws Reduce Microplastics at Sea and on Land. We call these microplastics – and they have reached some of the most remote parts of the world. As such, it’s not a very precise term.

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5 Types of Bioplastics: Starch, Cellulose, Protein, Organic, Aliphatic Polyesters

Green Business Bureau

Petroleum-based plastics can take up to 500 years to decompose, slowly releasing toxic chemical additives into the surrounding environment and breaking down into harmful microplastics. When improperly recycled, they can contaminate whole batches of recyclable plastics and damage recycling infrastructure.

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Biodegradable vs Compostable: Understanding The Difference

Green Business Bureau

For instance, polyethylene plastic bags will decompose over 20 years to produce microplastics that remain in the environment. In the absence of oxygen, materials are broken down to produce methane, water, and biomass. Decomposition does not have to involve living organisms. Biodegradation definition. Compostable definition.