A February 2023 Applied Soil Ecology article https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104714 by researchers with Germany University of Bayreuth report: “… the response of soil CO2 emissions to various types, quantities, and sizes of microplastic is not well understood. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on soil microbial biomass, bacterial community composition and CO2 development. […]
News and Updates
Resolving Anonymity of Plastic Materials Explored
The abstract of an October 18, 2022, Polymer Chemistry article https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/PY/d2py01180h by researchers with Australia Queensland University of Technology report: “… Resolving the anonymity of plastic materials is critical … we explore how contemporary polymer chemistry – in the form of sequence-defined polymers and their enormous information depth potential, fused with progress in law and […]
Process for the Removal of Micro and Nano Size Plastic Particles from Seawater Reported
The abstract of an August 24, 2022 Materials Today article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369702122002103/ by researchers with Princeton University and others reports that “… we demonstrate the transformation of standard egg-white (EW) proteins into an ultralightweight G-CF aerogel with a multiscale structure. The resulting covalently-bonded hierarchical structure, derived from the complex underlying protein configuration, exhibits a density that is two […]
5-Point Plan to Fix Recycling Announced by the Recycling Partnership
According to information on the November 7, 2022 home page of The Recycling Partnership https://recyclingpartnership.org/fixrecycling/ “… Recycling has the power to deliver a host of climate, economic, and waste management benefits, but today U.S. recycling is not performing at the scope and scale that it needs to achieve these benefits. Here are The Recycling Partnership’s 5 […]
Effects of Substances Leached from Plastic on the Marine Microbial Community Studied
The abstract of an October 24, 2022 Microbiome article https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01369-x by researchers with Australia University of Technology Sydney and Australia Macquarie University reports that “… we explored the population and genetic level responses of a marine microbial community following exposure to leachate from a common plastic (polyvinyl chloride) or zinc, a specific plastic additive. Both […]
Microplastics – Whale Exposure Studied
The abstract of a November 1, 2022, Nature Communications article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33334-5 by researchers with Stanford University and others states: “… microplastics and microfibers, are ubiquitous in marine food webs. Filter-feeding megafauna may be at extreme risk of exposure to microplastics, but neither the amount nor pathway of microplastic ingestion are well understood. Here, we combine depth-integrated […]
Microplastics – Presence in Israel Coastline Studied
The abstract of an October 2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X22007627 by researchers with Israel Tel Aviv University “… provides an analysis of the current state of microplastic (MP) contamination along the Mediterranean coastline of Israel … The MP detected included both secondary MP and pristine polymeric pellets. In-depth characterization of the MP illustrated a […]
Recycling of Rigid Plastic Candy Containers Available in San Francisco Bay Area
An October 25, 2022, Olyns news release https://www.olyns.com/news/olyns-collaborates-with-mars-wrigley-to-reward-consumers-for-recycling-rigid-plastic-candy-containers advises that the company is collaborating with “… Mars Wrigley to reward consumers for recycling rigid plastic candy containers [open tops with separate closures] … Beginning this week individuals in Northern California who deposit qualifying candy containers in an Olyns Reverse Vending Machine will have a chance […]
Single Use Plastic – Bacardi Removing Plastic Pourers and Plastic from Gifts Packs and Point of Sale Merchandise
An October 25, 2022 Bacardi news release https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005086/en/Bacardi-Cuts-Plastic-in-Packaging advises that the company is “…removing plastic pourers from its bottles in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Spain and Portugal … The plastic Non-Refillable Fitment (NRF) is commonplace throughout the spirits industry and is currently found in the neck of a number of the company’s iconic drink […]
Microplastics – FAO Food Safety Review
An October 17, 2022, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) news release https://www.fao.org/food-safety/news/news-details/en/c/1609239/ announces the availability of a report that “… outlines the existing literature on the occurrence of microplastics and their associated contaminants in foods. It also estimates the dietary exposure of consumers to these materials; highlights some knowledge gaps with respect to their […]