Free Republic

Not every environmentalist is stupid, and many are trying to accomplish desirable goals. They aren't the ones you hear about, and with good reason. Pursuing a reasonable policy rationally and persuasively isn't particularly newsworthy. My father, for instance, has been deeply involved in efforts to find common ground between ranchers in the West and preservationists trying to protect every square inch of land and keep it pristine--an obviously dumb idea. It is a fool's errand because almost all environmental activists are insane, but I admire his persistence. And, as he pointed out, there have been a few successful compromises over...

Plastic producers should ‘pay for the damage they’ve caused’ after decades of deception, the report's authors say. Recycling has been promoted as a solution to plastic waste management for more than 50 years. But big oil companies and the plastics industry have known for decades that it’s not a technically or economically viable solution, a new report reveals. Combining existing research and recently revealed internal documents, the report by the Center for Climate Integrity Research (CCI) could form the foundation for legal action, its authors say. “When corporations and trade groups know that their products pose grave risks to society,...

Plastics producers have promoted recycling their products as an environmental solution for decades despite firsthand knowledge that it was not feasible, according to a report published Thursday. More than 99 percent of plastics are produced using fossil fuels, and of these, the vast majority cannot be “recycled” in the sense of being processed and turned into entirely new products, according to the report from the Center for Climate Integrity. Viable end markets, or businesses that buy recyclables to make new products, only exist for polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene plastic containers, according to the report. Environmental Protection Agency materials have...

Washington (AFP) – Bottled water is up to a hundred times worse than previously thought when it comes to the number of tiny plastic bits it contains, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said Monday. Using a recently invented technique, scientists counted on average 240,000 detectable fragments of plastic per liter of water in popular brands -- between 10-100 times higher than prior estimates -- raising potential health concerns that require further study. "If people are concerned about nanoplastics in bottled water, it's reasonable to consider alternatives like tap water," Beizhan Yan, an associate...

The following products will require 10% or greater PCR content as of January 1, 2024 in the state of New Jersey: - Rigid Plastic Containers - Plastic Beverage Containers - Plastic Carryout Bags - Plastic Trash Bags

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) Confronts Anti-Plastics Witness About All The Things She Has Containing Plastic

Here’s something many of you probably suspected, but now there’s even more scientific data to back it up. A new study from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland has determined that recycling is not only failing to “save the planet” as we’ve long been promised, but it’s arguably producing a net harmful effect on both the environment and human health. In case that still comes as a surprise to you, the primary culprit in all of this is our old friend plastic. The ubiquitous use of various types of plastics in nearly everything humans manufacture or use is producing cumulative...

Scientists studying a giant collection of plastic trash floating in the middle of the open ocean have found some unexpected inhabitants: dozens of marine species that usually stick close to the coast. Among the plastic debris, the researchers found all kinds of nonnative species, from anemones to worms to little crustaceans. "To find that many coastal species on a relatively small sample size was shocking," says Linsey Haram, a marine ecologist who did this research while working at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The findings, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, should help overturn the long-held idea that the open...

Millions of metric tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year. While half of this plastic waste is recycled, incinerated, or discarded into landfills, a significant portion of what remains eventually ends up in our oceans.In fact, many pieces of ocean plastic waste have come together to create a vortex of plastic waste thrice the size of France in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii.Where does all of this plastic come from? In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Freny Fernandes and Louis Lugas Wicaksono used data from a research paper by Lourens J.J. Meijer and team to highlight the top...

The discovery and exploitation of crude oil have literally transformed the world beyond all recognition.This was such a great discovery, that our modern world is literally fuelled by it.If the crude oil supply was to suddenly dry up, could we survive?Crude oil is one of the most important resources we have ever discovered. Oil and the many products made from it have literally and figuratively transformed the world beyond all recognition. However, as we are constantly reminded, crude oil is not in infinite supply. After all, it took millions of years to "brew". RelatedWhat Would Happen If the World Ran...

A new report by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace released on Monday finds that the vast majority of plastic waste produced by U.S. households is not recycled. Lisa Ramsden, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA and one of the authors of the report, spoke with host Brad Mielke on ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast about the biggest takeaways from the report, the state of the recycling industry in the U.S. at large and what consumers should know about recycling. START HERE: Can you describe this new report you guys have because it freaked me out. Like, am I not…should I...

GARDENERS have been warned that their habit could leave them at an increased risk of heart disease. Medics found that pollutants in the soil could have a 'detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system'. The results of the analysis pushed experts to recommend that people wear a face mask, if they are in close contact with the soil. Experts at the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany said pollution of air, water and soil is responsible for at least nine million deaths each year. They highlighted that more than 60 per cent of pollution-related deaths are due to heart issues such as...

Put together two environmentally conscious professionals — a product designer and a pharmacist by trade — and you wind up with biodegradable prescription bottles that are getting traction with consumers. Health sciences startup Parcel Health Inc. of Bellevue has been piloting biodegradable pill bottles at 10 drug stores in eight states, including Pennsylvania, replacing the ubiquitous dark orange plastic bottles used by pharmacists to dispense drugs for decades. Consumer reaction at a West View drug store where they have been introduced has been positive, said Kyle McCormick, founder of Blueberry Pharmacy. “Patients love it,” Mr. McCormick said. “It’s a pretty...

Engineers at MIT have developed a new ultrathin material that’s as light as plastic but stronger than steel. The durable material could be used in vehicles or electronics, and makes use of a manufacturing technique that was previously thought impossible. Polymers are versatile materials, of which plastics are perhaps the most well known examples. Under a microscope, polymers usually look like squiggly threads, one-dimensional chains of units called monomers, but they can be coaxed into three dimensional shapes through manufacturing methods like injection molding. However, getting polymers to bind together to form two-dimensional sheets has been surprisingly difficult. While some...

SNIP A new study out Tuesday reports that far too often, small amounts of industrial chemicals called phthalates (pronounced THA-lates), which are used to make plastics soft, have been found in samples of food from popular outlets including McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Chipotle. George Washington University researcher Lariah Edwards, professor Ami Zota and their colleagues purchased 64 fast-food items from national burger chains McDonald's and Burger King; pizza chains Pizza Hut and Domino's; and Tex-Mex chains Taco Bell and Chipotle, all around San Antonio, Texas. The study found harmful chemicals in a majority of samples collected. Phthalates are linked to...

.....The Senate Finance Committee is weighing the idea of a tax on the sale of virgin plastic resin — the base materials used to make single-use plastics — as one potential way to pay for the mammoth spending bill, according to a document released earlier this month. But the proposal has garnered fierce opposition from the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade group representing 28 companies including oil giants such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell as well as major chemical manufacturers such as DuPont and Dow Chemical.... ...“Plastic goes into a variety of applications, not just...

Microbe communities found in the stomach of cows can break down plastic, potentially offering a sustainable way to help reduce litter, a study has found. Specifically, the organisms come from the rumen — the first and largest of the four compartments that make up the bovine stomach.... ...The team found that the microbes from the cows' rumens were capable of breaking down all three plastics — PET, PBAT, PEF — with the powdered versions, with their greater surface areas to attack, unsurprisingly breaking down faster than the films. Moreover — compared to the results of similar studies conducted using single...

Researchers from the University of Cambridge may have a viable solution to the single-use plastic dilemma: spider silk. Or, more accurately, a plant-based synthetic polymer that mimics the composition of spider silk, but doesn't actually come from the eight-legged arthropods. The researchers modeled their polymer after spider silk due to its durability and strength—if you could scale up a spiderweb to human size, it would be capable of trapping an airplane. In fact, spider silk is five times stronger than steel, and half as strong as Kevlar; it's considered one of the strongest naturally occurring materials on Earth. Incredibly, the...

Mask Burning Will Commence In Cooperation With Law Enforcement... American freedom lovers will gather in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday April 10 to protest for Face Freedom... “You are invited to the Million Maskless March and Mask Burning, Saturday April 10, 2021 at 3pm at the Corner of A1A and Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale!,” writes protest organizer Chris Nelson, who has organized viral flash mobs at chain stores that re-popularized Twisted Sister’s protest anthem “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” “April 10 marks one year of mask tyranny in Broward County and we will mark that date with a celebration...

Dr. Shanna Swan, a professor of Environmental Medicine & Public Health at Mount Sinai Health System, has warned in a new book that phthalates, a chemical commonly used in the manufacturing of plastics, can shrink penises and decrease male fertility. A study listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which operates under the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, found that the microplastics used in the manufacturing of Covid face masks contain a number of toxic chemicals, including the penis-shrinking phthalates. Dr. Swans’s book “Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering...