Author: Hurriyet Daily News

Numerous instances of negligence frequently result in fires at recycling facilities across the nation, an expert has warned, highlighting the dangers associated with it and lack of deterrent measures that are necessary to curb the problem. Associate Professor Sedat Gündoğdu, a faculty member at Çukurova University, gave insights to local media about the causes of recently increasing fires in recycling facilities, the measures to be taken and possible penalties.

Author: Joseph Winters

Last month, the American Chemistry Council, a petrochemical industry trade group, sent out a newsletter highlighting a major new report on what it presented as a promising solution to the plastic pollution crisis: using “recycled” plastic in construction materials. At first blush, it might seem like a pretty good idea — shred discarded plastic into tiny pieces and you can reprocess it into everything from roads and bridges to railroad ties. Many test projects have been completed in recent years, with proponents touting them as a convenient way to divert plastic waste from landfills while also making infrastructure lighter, more rot-resistant, or, ostensibly, more durable.

Author: Stephen Lang

A major fire today completely destroyed the sorting plant for lightweight packaging from the dual system in Dresden. As the disposal company Veolia reported on request, the fire broke out shortly after midnight for an unknown reason. The building is in danger of collapsing and the damage to property cannot yet be estimated. The Dresden fire brigade is on duty with around 100 people. There were several vehicles and machines in the hall. Within a very short time, the flames broke through the roof of the hall. "Several explosions could also be heard," said the fire department. The main goal of the emergency services is to prevent the spread to neighboring buildings.

Author: PressPacs

Everywhere scientists look for microplastics, they’ve found them — food, water, air and some parts of the human body. But examinations of our innermost organs that aren’t directly exposed to the environment are still limited. Now, in a pilot study of people who underwent heart surgery, researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology report that they have found microplastics in many heart tissues. They also report evidence suggesting that microplastics were unexpectedly introduced during the procedures.

Author: Joseph Winters

At a conference in Seattle this summer, Coca-Cola set up shop in an exhibition hall to show off one of its most recent sustainability initiatives. A six-foot-tall interactive jukebox invited passersby to listen to “recycled records” — seven audio tracks that, according to Coca-Cola, represent the world’s first album made with recordings of the plastic recycling process. The project, produced for Coca-Cola by the DJs Mark Ronson and Madlib, was meant to celebrate Coke’s decision to move from green to clear plastic bottles for three of its brands: Sprite, Fresca, and Seagram’s. Because clear plastic bottles are easier to recycle than green ones, Coca-Cola said they would advance a “closed-loop bottle-to-bottle economy” that uses materials more efficiently and creates less waste.

Author: Jared Paben

Fiber prices are slowly recovering from the rock-bottom values of late last year and early this year, but scrap plastic prices have fallen dramatically in recent months, taking a toll on the largest haulers’ recycling businesses.  For Waste Management (WM), strained recycled plastic markets have forced executives to revise downward their commodity pricing forecasts for the rest of the year.  

Author: Megan Quinn

Some of the U.S. EPA’s regulatory programs meant to reduce pollution from hazardous waste sites and prevent trash in waterways are falling short, according to a report from the agency’s Office of Inspector General. The independent office within the EPA makes recommendations for agency improvements and releases a progress report every two years. This year’s report calls for the EPA to work more closely with municipalities to prevent plastic pollution in waterways. It also calls on the EPA to better prioritize inspections of hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs), saying infrequently performing inspections increases the risk of pollution and health issues.

Author: Tom Wilfer

Waste illegally imported from abroad has once again been discovered in Poland. According to the authorities, it is said to be large amounts of shredded plastic waste. Waste imported contrary to legal requirements was discovered at the beginning of last week in the district of Nysa, not far from the border with the Czech Republic, according to the Environmental Protection Inspectorate of the Opole District. Further inspections were carried out in the region and the public prosecutor's office was informed of possible criminal offenses. However, the authority initially did not provide any information on the specific quantity or origin.

Author: Aria Bendix

Firefighters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have contained a gigantic plastics fire that prompted a health alert about hazardous air pollution. But authorities say the debris could still smolder for days. Responders were dispatched on Sunday afternoon to a facility that manufactures and recycles plastic pipes. By then, flames had ignited a storage yard filled with at least an acre of material — old and new pipes, semi-trailers and ground-up material ready to be recycled. A thick cloud of black smoke quickly filled the sky, the result of burning high-density polyethylene, authorities said.

Author: Chang Che

Gary Anderson was a 23-year-old architecture student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1970, when he entered a design contest sponsored by a box manufacturer for a logo to promote the recycling of paper. He won, spawning a symbol that became international shorthand for repurposing waste materials. His design: three folded-over arrow strips, chasing each other in an endless triangle.

Author: Marissa Heffernan

The U.S. EPA asked for input on its draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, and recycling industry stakeholders have answered.  Many of the nearly 92,000 comments on the draft strategy called for federal deposit return systems and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. Industry voices also pushed for a greater focus on marine pollution and for the EPA to enforce plastic reduction targets.

Author: Kyle Davidson

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday announced she was joining a coalition with 13 other attorneys general urging the Biden administration to bolster its strategy to combat plastic pollution.  In the letter, Nessel and attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement a broader and more robust plan to improve plastic waste management, and to reduce the production of plastic materials and decrease reliance on them.

Author: Karen Wirsig

There’s a disturbing push for so-called “compostable” plastic to replace single-use plastic items banned by the federal government. That’s a terrible idea and here’s why: “Compostable” plastic isn’t all that compostable. You can make it from oil and gas, or things like corn or sugar cane, but it’s all plastic when it ends up in the environment.

Author: Christine Zhu

A national plastics strategy by the Biden administration has drawn concern over its scope and consistency with existing laws, according to comments on the proposal that closed earlier this week. The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft national strategy to prevent plastic pollution aims to reduce use and build a circular economy—a system where materials are recycled or recovered instead of thrown away. Released in May, the EPA outlined three objectives for the strategy: reducing pollution during plastic production, improving post-use materials management, and removing trash from the environment.