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Plastic waste litters cities, oceans and even the air. Largely overlooked is how making plastic affects the environment. Plastic is a big contributor to global warming. So are its alternatives.
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A Canadian grocery store put embarrassing slogans, such as "Wart Ointment Wholesale" and "Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium," on plastic bags to get customers to use reusable shopping bags.
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Entrepreneurs are eager to find substitutes for plastic that naturally degrade. One option is a "natural" plastic made by microbes and then eaten by them. But the process is still in the early days.
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Many organic farmers rely on plastic as a form of mulch, but it ends up in landfills. Biodegradable plastic could help, but some worry about its long-term effects on soil health and the environment.
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Giant gyres of plastic in the ocean grab headlines, but it's the tiny bits of plastic that scare scientists. And they've made their way everywhere, a new study finds — including in our seafood.
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Tiny fragments broken down from larger pieces of plastic have already been found in rivers, lakes, oceans and in agricultural soil. But very few studies of wind-borne microplastic have ever been done.
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A national movement to ban plastic bags is gaining steam, but these restrictions may actually hurt the environment more than help it.
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In the Philippines, marine biologist Darrell Blatchley recovered the body of a young whale that showed signs of emaciation and dehydration due to the 88 pounds of plastic it had ingested.
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Last year, China drastically cut back its imports of plastic waste to recycle. Now the U.S. and other wealthy nations must figure out what to do with their discards.
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From sandwich bags to paper towels, food prep and storage is rife with products destined for the landfill. Here's how one food writer cut back on waste without sacrificing modern conveniences.