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Plastic Matters August 2021 |
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The pandemic is generating tons of discarded PPE. This entrepreneur is turning them into bricks. By Taniya Dutta Binish Desai’s recycling effort is one small step toward addressing a global environmental hazard. To fight the virus, countries around the world have increased production of personal protective equipment, or PPE. Such gear is often made of polypropylene plastic, a synthetic resin. Several innovators are working on ways to recycle the waste, whether in the form of liquid biofuel or through new products such as Desai’s solution. |
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Utilising recyclable PET plastic waste: Towards a circular economy. By MD and CEO 0f BPPL holdings PLC In Sri Lanka, waste segregation and management is a topic that has been gradually building up notoriety due to inefficiencies and lack of proper implementation. Over the past few years, we’ve seen these poor practices result in overcrowded landfills, environmental deterioration and even economic drawbacks. One of the most economically benefitting and environmentally-friendly strategies is the development of a circular economy. |
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Scientists figured out how to turn plastic waste into jet fuel. By Andrea D. Steffen And as much as we’d love plastic recycling to be the perfect solution, it’s not. It’s problematic because the process of many common mechanical recycling methods lowers the quality of the materials for use in other products, and therefore its economic value. Scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have developed a new chemical treatment that could solve this problem by turning plastic waste into jet fuel. |
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Upcycling plastic waste into high-performing mechanical lubricants. By Steve Kuhlmann The research team at Iowa State is working on upcycling plastic waste into liquid lubricants, including oil, hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids and greases. This project aims to reduce the adverse impacts made by hundreds of millions of tons of waste plastics through upcycling in order to support a circular economy with minimal environmental impact. Moving forward, the team will be researching both the cost and technology needed to upcycle the plastic waste into lubricants, as well as how well the product ultimately performs. |
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Barbie has released its first dolls made almost entirely of recycled plastic that was headed for the ocean. By Melissa Wiley Mattel launched its first collection of Barbies with bodies made from 90% recycled plastic. Mattel's initiatives are part of the toy industry's shift toward sustainability. the building-blocks brand Lego aims to manufacture the majority of its products using sustainable plastics by 2030. Hasbro, the company behind Monopoly and My Little Pony, plans to eliminate plastic packaging by 2022. |
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Siem Reap plastic waste campaign nets nearly 2,000 bags, NGO says. By Nov Sivutha More than 300 families from Siem Reap province’s Puok district have joined a campaign to collect plastic waste around the Tonle Sap Lake and their houses. The water begins to rise from July and continues to September. During this time, if the waste is not collected, it will make the lake shallow and the water becomes deoxygenated and warm.The plastic waste collected at people’s houses will be processed into medium-quality construction materials to be given to communities. |
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That’s all for now. Issued in public interest by Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment,
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