Plastic

The Earth Day environmental movement is calling for 'the end of plastics for the sake of human and planetary health.

Nature wraps bananas and oranges in peels. But in some modern supermarkets, they're bagged or wrapped in plastic too.

Representatives from 175 nations meet in Nairobi from Nov. 13 to negotiate for the first time what concrete measures should be included in a binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.

This week the UN celebrated World Environment Day, placing an emphasis on plastic pollution in the world's seas. This has put the focus on the Mediterranean Sea as well, one of the most impacted seas when it comes to plastic pollution.

A new study conducted by the Archipelagos Institute for Marine Conservation, titled "First Assessment of Micro-Litter Ingested by Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Monk Seals Found Stranded along the Coasts of Samos Island, Greece," has shed light on the extent of plastic pollution in the Aegean Sea. 

The Maribor Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the University Meical Centre Maribor are involved in a project that will make it possible to recycle rapid antigen tests. The single-use Covid-19 tests are currently treated as hazardous waste and incinerated, wasting €15,000 per million tests in plastic and gold.

The Slovenian Institute of Chemistry will coordinate a major EU-sponsored innovation action project seeking ways to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the Mediterranean. The Remedies project will bring together 23 partners from 12 countries. It is valued at €9.15 million.

Disposable paper cups may cause many diseases due to the heavy metal they release into the hot drink as soon as they come into contact, an expert has said.

"Heavy metals released into the drink cause anemia, hormonal and reproductive disorders, and cardiovascular diseases," said professor Mine Kuçur, a medical biochemistry specialist.

India imposed a ban on many single-use plastics on July 1 in a bid to tackle waste choking rivers and poisoning wildlife, but experts say it faces severe headwinds from unprepared manufacturers and consumers unwilling to pay more.

In 2010, 8.8 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste came from China

Pollution caused by microplastics on the coasts of the Mediterranean is posing a public health hazard threat ahead of the summer season, an academic has warned.