The Japanese government is pushing for the development of a new plastic material that naturally decomposes in the sea as marine environmental pollution becomes ever more serious. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/15/japan/science-health/developing-biodegradable-plastics-to-reduce-marine-plastic-waste/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #oceans #environment #plastic #waste #meti #pollution
STOP OCCUPATION 🍉 S. Costa
boosted
We just brought it six audio recorders from across campus at #LincolnUniversityNZ, which students had laid out as part of our long-term monitoring of campus birds.
To our surprise, and annoyance, some pesky varmint has done its best to gnaw right through one of them. I've not seen anything like it before, and we've had these units left out in all sorts of wild places.
Either it's one very hungry rat, or a rat that particularly likes the taste of plastic. Maybe if we can catch it and breed it, there's a potential for plastic recycling rat farms.
A photo of one end of an audio recorder with the plastic gnawed right through, almost all the way around the unit, exposing the SD card and electronics. It's definitely not waterproof now!
A photo of six audio recorders sitting on my office chair. They're long thin black plastic units, with a microphone at one end covered in sponge and protected by a metal grill, and the rest of the unit is solid plastic inside of which are the batteries and electronics.
This is the AR4 model designed and manufactured by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
We just brought it six audio recorders from across campus at #LincolnUniversityNZ, which students had laid out as part of our long-term monitoring of campus birds.
To our surprise, and annoyance, some pesky varmint has done its best to gnaw right through one of them. I've not seen anything like it before, and we've had these units left out in all sorts of wild places.
Either it's one very hungry rat, or a rat that particularly likes the taste of plastic. Maybe if we can catch it and breed it, there's a potential for plastic recycling rat farms.
A photo of one end of an audio recorder with the plastic gnawed right through, almost all the way around the unit, exposing the SD card and electronics. It's definitely not waterproof now!
A photo of six audio recorders sitting on my office chair. They're long thin black plastic units, with a microphone at one end covered in sponge and protected by a metal grill, and the rest of the unit is solid plastic inside of which are the batteries and electronics.
This is the AR4 model designed and manufactured by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
The government of South Australia has banned the use of fish-shaped small soy sauce containers, commonly provided with takeaway sushi and bento boxed meals, as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/03/japan/australian-state-bans-plastic-soy-sauce-bottles/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #australia #plastic #shoyu #recycling #environment #restaurants
The collapse of a sixth round of U.N. talks aimed at curbing plastic output has dimmed hopes of tackling a source of pollution and left many pessimistic about a global deal during Donald Trump's time in the White House. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/19/sustainability/us-plastics-pollution-deal-geneva/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #pollution #environment #us #donaldtrump #republicans #un
Talks aimed at striking a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution fell apart Friday, in a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/15/sustainability/plastic-waste-talks-collapse/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #waste #pollution #un #recycling
Ika Makimaki
boosted
“Talks stall on world’s first plastic pollution treaty one day before deadline.” Surprise surprise. Those industry lobbyists certainly earned their wages. A shame for the rest of us. #Pollution#Plastic#Capitalism
“Talks stall on world’s first plastic pollution treaty one day before deadline.” Surprise surprise. Those industry lobbyists certainly earned their wages. A shame for the rest of us. #Pollution#Plastic#Capitalism
Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/10/sustainability/plastic-talks-failing/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #pollution #waste #recycling #un
Talks at the United Nations on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution have made insufficient progress, the negotiations chair warned Saturday in a frank midway assessment. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/09/sustainability/platic-negotiations-not-sufficient/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #recycling #pollution #un
The United States has sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact that includes limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/07/sustainability/trump-plastic-production-caps-un/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #pollution #environment #us #donaldtrump
Diplomats and climate advocates warn that efforts by the European Union and small island states to cap virgin plastic production are under threat from petrochemical-producing countries and Washington. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/05/sustainability/oil-trump-treaty-plastics-pollution/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #oil #plastic #pollution #us #donaldtrump #republicans #environment #oceans
Negotiators will take another stab at reaching a global pact on plastic pollution at talks opening Tuesday in Geneva but they face deep divisions over how to tackle the health and ecological hazard. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/02/sustainability/plastic-waste-treaty-talks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #waste #recycling #pfas
"Here is the story of how plastic moves through soils, birds, mammals – even making its way into the food we eat"
https://pressreader.com/article/281809994952804
#Microplastics#Science#Environment#TheGuardianWeekly #polyester #Nanoplastics #plastic
#Bamboo #hemp#PlanetEarth #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticPollution
If we would use these two products instead of #plastic it would make all the difference!
Mx Arjuna
boosted
Japanese secondhand goods retailer Bookoff, which disposes of 1,700 tons of unsold CDs, DVDs and their cases from some 800 outlets across the country each year, plans to step up its recycling of such discs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/08/companies/japan-bookoff-secondhand-store-plastic-recycling/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #bookoff #recycling #plastic
In more "recycling is just shipping your plastic overseas where it actually doesn't get recycled"
LA Times: Malaysia will stop accepting U.S. plastic waste, creating a dilemma for California
"Last week 2,000 scientists recommended to governments that all deep sea exploration be paused whilst further research is carried out; just 0.001% of the seabed has been mapped."
#EsmeStallard, 2025
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq69e4j6jz8o
Meanwhile the NatACT government in Aotearoa is actively encouraging mining corporations to "invest" in large-scale destruction of the seabed around our islands.
Will no one rid us of these turbulent priests? Well, there is an election coming ...
"At the conference ministers from 97 countries, including the UK, signed a joint political statement saying they wanted an ambitious treaty to be signed on [plastic production].
But this only included one of the top ten oil-producing nations - Canada. Plastic is made from oil, so any commitment to reduce production could harm their income, the countries claim."
#EsmeStallard, 2025
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq69e4j6jz8o
All the more reason to end fossil fuel industries ASAP.