Plastic
Plastic is a material made from synthetic organic compounds, characterised by its malleability. Although it has many uses, from packaging to use in electronic equipment, and has changed our way of life since it was invented, it is becoming a major concern for the environment. The manufacture of plastic lets off a lot of harmful greenhouse emissions and plastic waste it is polluting our planet, especially our seas. Although plastic is recyclable it is estimated that only about two thirds of supermarket plastic in the UK is not recyclable and the majority of plastic is not recycled at all.
Can you really absorb plastics and chemicals through your skin?
Tiny plastic particles may be found in almost every part of your body.
If we want to beat plastic pollution, recycling will never be enough
OPINION | Photographs of hermit crabs using discarded bottle caps as shells highlights the extent of the global plastic pollution problem.
Why your chewing gum could be secretly destroying the planet
Sticky situation: Is your chewing gum outliving your great-great-great-grandchildren?
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What if there were no fossil fuels?
How different would our world look?
Robot fish could solve the ocean's microplastic pollution problem
Bots that attract small pieces of plastic waste could one day help remove the millions of microplastics floating in the sea.
What are nurdles?
Nurdles can work their way into the digestive tracts of various marine animals.
Why do water droplets stay on plastic items after they’ve gone in the dishwasher?
Have you ever wondered why glass items come out sparkling, while plastic items still look wet?
Why don’t microplastics keep breaking down?
Microplastics do keep breaking down but the time it takes depends on multiple factors.
Microplastics: Are they harming me, and can I do anything about it?
Tiny plastic fragments are found in every environment on Earth, even those with no human inhabitants. Dr Stephanie Wright, who studies toxicology in the environment, explains the dangers.
How does bubble wrap become bubbly?
Asked by: Connie Foy, Buckinghamshire
Amount of human-made items on Earth will soon outweigh all living biomass
Research suggests that for each person alive today, mass equal to more than their bodyweight is produced by humans every week.
Sea spreads plastic waste thousands of kilometres from source in just months
‘Message in a bottle’ tags show how far and how fast plastic can move, scientists say.
Is it possible to recycle plastics an infinite number of times?
Asked by: Holly Goodrick, London
Babies fed by bottle may be consuming millions of particles of microplastics every day
The consequences of microplastics on infant health are as yet unknown but any potential risks need to be urgently assessed, the researchers say.
Super-enzyme breaks down plastic bottles in 'a matter of days'
The enhanced protein is made up of two enzymes produced by a type of bacteria that feeds on plastic bottles.
Annual plastic water pollution could reach 53 million tonnes by 2030
Researchers say modelling shows the strategies currently in place to reduce plastic waste, such as bans on certain products and continuous clean-up of litter, are 'not enough to keep plastic pollution in check'.
Researchers find every human tissue tested can absorb microplastics
The team tested 47 samples taken from lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys.
Why does bolognese sauce stain my plastic containers?
Asked by: Rachel Campbell, via email
Microbeads and glitter among the 94,000 microplastics flowing down the River Thames every second
Crabs and fish that live in the River Thames had consumed small items of plastic, thought to have come from bottles, wrappers, wet wipes and plastic bags.
Microplastics | Laundry filters 'dramatically' reduce fibres
University of Plymouth researchers compared six fibre-catching devices used in washing machines.
‘Turn off the tap’ on all ocean pollutants, not just plastic, says report
Pollutants such as oil and gas, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals and industrial chemicals are also severely impacting the world’s oceans.
Plastic particles from car tyres found in UK waters
New research suggests that 100 million square metres of the UK’s river network is at risk of contamination by plastic particles from vehicle tyres.
Ocean currents creating underwater microplastic rubbish dumps
Researchers believe slow-moving currents concentrate 1.9 million pieces of microplastic per square metre under the oceans.
Meet the waxworm, a plastic-eating caterpillar that could solve our waste problem
These ‘plastivores’ could help to reduce the volume of plastic in landfills.