Some eight million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into the world’s oceans each year, and the amount of the debris is likely to increase greatly over the next decade unless nations take strong measures to dispose of… Read More ›
Plastic pollution
Virginia Considers Banning Balloon Releases
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Balloons are killing animals on land and in water, according to researchers at the Virginia Aquarium. And now a lawmaker from Virginia Beach is hoping to ban the release of helium balloons into the air…. Read More ›
Plastics: “Most Pervasive Pollutant in the Ocean”
Plastic is the most pervasive pollutant in the ocean today. But researchers have struggled to estimate just how much of the 6 billion tons of plastic that has been manufactured since the mid-20th century ultimately winds up in the ocean…. Read More ›
Evidence of Plastic Microbeads in Aquifers
“Microbeads have only been around for the last decade. There’s significant indications that the L.A. River is affected and there’s evidence that it’s already finding their way to our aquifers,” says Bloom.
Cornwall Marine Litter Swells
“Every beach surveyed we found beach litter on. Northumbria University sampled a random litre of sand and found over ten thousand microscopic plastic particles present. Litter is being found consistently in sea bed surveys – all the way out as far out as the continental shelf – over a million seabirds and a hundred thousand sea mammals will die every year from ingestion and entanglement. We need to reduce the amount of marine litter by 50%.”
New Plastisphere Research Discovery
We know that Australia’s waters contain lots of tiny pieces of plastic, and that these pieces can harm many marine species. But in new research published today we show that these microplastics are also home to marine life, some of… Read More ›
Microplastics Invade Arctic Ice
The majority of the pieces, 54 percent, were rayon, a manmade material created out of cellulose and used to make clothing, cigarette butts, disposable diapers and other personal-hygiene products, among other consumer goods. The rest were pieces of various other types of polymers — polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylic and polyethylene. Identifying the tiny pieces fell largely to Thompson, whose research has focused on marine debris, Obbard said.
Plastic Waste Returns Home on Kelp
What seemed like a landfill of plastic in kelp, catapulted me into photographic obsession (about 200 frames shot). I lost track of time while I stooped and bent my body to find the right way to capture this polyester moment. Eventually several curious people asked “ What are you photographing?”
Body Scrubs Loaded With Micro Plastics Dirtying Great Lakes
Three of the five Great Lakes—Huron, Superior and Erie—are awash in plastic. But it’s not the work of a Christo-like landscape artist covering the waterfront. Rather, small plastic beads, known as micro plastic, are the offenders, according to survey results… Read More ›
Neptune 911! 