In recent years, drink chains have switched their single-use cups from plastic to paper to avoid plastic pollution and pile-ups in landfills. But according to recent research, the plastic cup that we feel good walking out of a cafe with isn’t great for the environment either.
The world is covered with plastic pollution. That breaks down to become microplastics—tiny bits of plastic smaller than 5 mm.
An analysis of global plastic data over the past four decades, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that there’s now an estimated 170 trillion plastic particles—more than 2.2 million tons—floating in the world’s oceans.
As the war on plastic straws rages on, researchers in Korea have created a bioplastic alternative that is made out of potato starch and citric acid.
This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.
It’s overwhelming to think about how polluted our oceans are—so much so that it’s increasingly tempting to think of technological solutions to clean it all up. Two new studies shed light on what, exactly, happens to plastic once it enters the ocean, and how some natural processes may be helping to break a lot of it…
ryasick/Getty Images
For the past year on the coast of France, the waves crashing ashore have borne evidence of an unsettling mystery. An untold number of tiny plastic pellets are landing on the beaches of Brittany, Pays de la Loire, and elsewhere.
Robyn Phelps/Insider
As an expert on microplastics, here's what I do to keep my family safe.
