Materials and Waste

A Surge of New Production Is on the Way – Yale E360

|

The Plastics Pipeline: A Surge of New Production Is on the Way – Yale E360

As public concern about plastic pollution rises, consumers are reaching for canvas bags, metal straws, and reusable water bottles. But while individuals fret over images of oceanic garbage gyres, the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are pouring billions of dollars into new plants intended to make millions more tons of plastic than they now pump out.

Companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco are ramping up output of plastic — which is made from oil and gas, and their byproducts — to hedge against the possibility that a serious global response to climate change might reduce demand for their fuels, analysts say. Petrochemicals, the category that includes plastic, now account for 14 percent of oil use, and are expected to drive half of oil demand growth between now and 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says. The World Economic Forum predicts plastic production will double in the next 20 years.

A Swamp of Chemicals

|

Yesterday I was thinking about that article I posted about PFOAs being found in rain water … 💦

We really live in a swamp of man-made chemicals, toxic or otherwise. It literally rains all kinds of noxious things out in sky, we breathe them in, we eat it in our food. Most of the chemicals are at very low levels, but they’re everywhere. Now we shouldn’t be afraid, but we should be asking manufacturers to use a little bit more precaution because once the genie is out of the bottle you can’t put him back in right away. I think it’s kind of silly for individuals to take excessive steps to avoid exposure to chemicals, as they’re everywhere and you can’t avoid them, but we should be asking more of industry to do better.

101st Street

Returned online purchases often sent to landfill, journalist’s research reveals | CBC Radio

|

‘It’s pretty staggering’: Returned online purchases often sent to landfill, journalist’s research reveals | CBC Radio

Do you order different sizes of clothing online, knowing you can return the one that doesn't fit?

Did you know the ones you return are sometimes sent straight to landfill?

Online shopping has created a boom in perfectly good products ending up in dumpsters and landfills, according to Adria Vasil, an environmental journalist and managing editor of Corporate Knights magazine.

Cuomo seeks to ban single-use Styrofoam food containers, packing peanuts in New York State

|

Cuomo seeks to ban single-use Styrofoam food containers, packing peanuts in New York State

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced one of the proposals in his 2020 State of the State Agenda on Tuesday, and it could have an effect on restaurants, grocery stores and the shipping industry.

The proposal seeks to ban the distribution and use of single-use Styrofoam, also known as expanded polystyrene. The material is used to create food containers commonly used by restaurants, delis and food trucks for takeout meals. Grocery stores use it to package eggs, fish and raw meat. It's also used to make packaging materials like packing peanuts.

Under the proposed legislation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation would also be given the authority to limit or ban the use of other packaging material based on its environmental impact.

Seems like a good idea. 🤔While I used to use a lot of Styrofoam plates and dishes 🍵 up at camp -- I've switched over to paper because it's almost as cheap, doesn't melt with hot food, and I was reading how nasty some of blowing agents are for the environment -- and honestly Styrofoam kind of burns black and smells bad when you toss it in the fire, if the fire ain't roaring. 🔥

All Sights on Mexico as it Discovers World’s Largest Lithium Deposit

|

All Sights on Mexico as it Discovers World’s Largest Lithium Deposit

The report indicates that the lithium mine located in Sonora is the largest deposit with proven and probable reserves of 243.8 million tons, containing 4.5 million tonnes of lithium-carbonate equivalent.

Construction of the mine was first announced by Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich in May 2018 and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

Production capacity in its first stage of operations is expected to be 15,500 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate, Mining Technology said, while capacity will double to 35,000 tonnes per year in a second stage.

The mine is being developed by Canada’s Bacanora Minerals and China’s Ganfeng Lithium.

Ever Hear of a Nurdle? This New Form of Pollution Could be Coming to the Ohio River – The Allegheny Front

|

Ever Hear of a Nurdle? This New Form of Pollution Could be Coming to the Ohio River – The Allegheny Front

hen the petrochemical plant being built by Shell Chemical Appalachia in Beaver County is complete, it’s anticipated to bring 600 jobs as well as spinoff industries. But some researchers and activists warn that it could also bring a new type of pollution to the Ohio River Valley — nurdles.

New York’s Thick Plastic Bag Demands Vex Efforts to Reduce Waste

|

New York’s Thick Plastic Bag Demands Vex Efforts to Reduce Waste

New York, joining California, aims to ban most single-use plastic bags under a measure that takes effect March 1, 2020. But the state’s first crack at implementing it has drawn the ire of the environmentalists and one of the law’s sponsors, who say the Department of Environmental Conservation’s proposed rules have too many loopholes even as plastics makers say they can’t meet the state’s demands.

Several states have eyed plastic bag restrictions as one way to curb plastic waste, but New York—which goes through approximately 23 billion single-use plastic bags annually—is raising eyebrows for demanding thicker reusable bags. While California set the minimum thickness for acceptable bags at 2.25 mil, New York wants its bags 10 mils thick. A mil is one-thousandth of an inch.

It’s impossible to produce plastic bags that thick, and there aren’t enough paper bags to fill the demand from the populous state, Phil Rozenski, vice president of public affairs for North Carolina-based Novolex, which manufactures paper and plastic bags, said.