Use + Remix

synthetic and plastic

Feature card of the chart, Mismanaged plastic waste : Xuanming Liang & James Goldie, 360info CC BY 4.0

Hospitals, masks and test kits all produce plastic waste. Only a small part of it is recycled.

Science against the clock

Chart: Mismanaged plastic waste

Hospitals, masks and test kits all produce plastic waste. Only a small part of it is recycled.

Environment
Food waste and plastic are intertwined problems. : Michael Joiner, 360info CC BY 4.0

Backgrounder: 541 words

As the world faces a growing food crisis, scientists are investigating how we can waste less of it.

8 perspectives

8 perspectives
Special Report

The wrap on food waste

As the world faces a growing food crisis, scientists are investigating how we can waste less of it.

Environment
Does a single tomato really need a styrofoam tray and plastic wrap? : Sgroey (Wikimedia) CC 4.0

The problem of too much plastic packaging will not be solved without addressing its larger twin: food waste.

Reducing food waste

Plastic packaging has an evil twin

The problem of too much plastic packaging will not be solved without addressing its larger twin: food waste.

Environment
A freshness indicator might help in purchasing decisions. Nafise Motlaq / World Bank : Nafise Motlaq (c) World Bank

Intelligent packaging offers promise for reducing food waste, with smart indicators letting consumers know whether their fridge contents are still safe to eat.

Reducing food waste

Meet the meat that tells you when it’s going bad

Environment
This cup looks and behaves like plastic, but is made from plants. : Craig Cranko (BioPak) All rights reserved

Plant-based plastics are only just starting to be more widely accepted. But challenges remain.

Science against the clock

New plastics prepare for takeoff

Environment
Coca-Cola moved to plastic from glass having done an environmental assessment. : Giacomo Bettiol CC BY 2.0

Single-use plastic is a huge environmental problem, but it can help limit food waste – another big problem. Tackling both will take ingenuity.

Reducing food waste

Plastic pollution is bad, but food waste is far worse

Environment
Plastic nurdles look unassuming, but the damage they do to the environment is significant. : Mark Dixon, Flickr CC BY 4.0

For producers of microplastic ‘nurdle’ pellets, the price of packaging is often more than the cost of letting it spill into the ocean.

World Environment Day 2023

Citizen action to stem microplastic pollution

Environment