Contents:
~ Plastic Food Packaging now Outpaces Cigarette Butts as most Abundant Beach Trash
~ Human Health and the Ocean
~ Aquatic Bacterial Biofilms Form on Microplastics
~ EPA Seeks Comments on Potential “US Recycling Goals“
~ Recyclable Strawless Lids Now Standard for Iced Beverages at Starbucks in the US and Canada
~ Nestle Amplifies Packaging Goals
~ About Plastic Food Packaging Waste News or PFPW.news
Plastic Food Packaging now Outpaces Cigarette Butts as most Abundant Beach Trash – According to a September 8, 2020 National Geographic story “… Candy wrappers and chip bags have become the most commonly found beach trash … That dreary statistic is among the findings in the Ocean Conservancy’s latest report on its annual beach cleanup … The other items in the top ten relate to food and drink, and most of those are not recyclable. The list includes bottles and caps, straws and stirrers, cups, lids, take-away containers, and plastic bags … Complicating matters, much of food packaging either fails to get recycled by consumers or can’t be recycled at all … Only 13 percent of plastic containers and packaging were recycled in the United States in 2017 …” #PlasticWaste #Recycling #SingleUsePlastic #PlasticPackaging
Human Health and the Ocean – “Human Health and the Ocean in a Changing World” is the title of a symposium to be held December 2 to 4, 2020 in Monaco for which abstracts for oral presentations and posters are sought by September 16. The purpose of the symposium is to “… highlight the risks that the oceans can represent for human health, and their increase due to environmental changes (emergence of new marine pathogens, contamination of seafood, various types of pollution, etc…) but also the benefits that they will continue to bring to human health ,,,” – Organized by “… the Scientific Center of Monaco (CSM), the Principality of Monaco’s scientific research agency, and the Prince Albert II Foundation … under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and in partnership with many International Institutions and Stakeholders (WHO, CNRS, Boston College, Scripps Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution …” and many others. #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic #MicroPlastic
Aquatic Bacterial Biofilms Form on Microplastics
– According to an article, titled “Microplastic’s role in antibiotic resistance” published September 11, 2020 in Science Magazine by researchers with the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway and others “… Evidence that microplastic surfaces in aquatic environments host microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics … suggests that plastic pollution could have ramifications on disease transmission and treatment in addition to environmental consequences and human exposure to contaminated air, water, and food … These resistant bacteria likely originate in human and animal populations treated with antibiotics and then travel downstream through wastewater into riverine and marine ecosystems … Scientists and policy-makers should prioritize the evaluation of both direct and indirect effects of plastic pollution to fully assess the environmental and public health risks …” #PlasticWaste #Microplastics #SingleUsePlastic #FoodPackaging #AntibioticResistance
EPA Seeks Comments on Potential “US Recycling Goals”
– According to the September 2020 issue of the EPA Sustainable Materials newsletter, issued on September 10, 2020, on September 2, 2020, EPA announced potential “U.S. Recycling Goals” for public comment – EPA has been working with “… the America Recycles Measurement Workgroup to identify measures that could quantify the performance of different components of the recycling system. The national goals and associated indicators, developed from these measures, will provide the benchmarks needed to evaluate the success of the collective efforts to significantly improve the nation’s recycling system … Comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET on October 2, 2020. EPA plans to announce selected national goals at the America Recycles Summit on November 17th, 2020 …” #Recycling #SingleUsePlastic #FoodPackaging #PlasticWaste
Recyclable Strawless Lids Now Standard for Iced Beverages at Starbucks in the US and Canada
– According to a September 10, 2020 news release, recyclable strawless lids are now available across the US and Canada “…
for iced beverages … marking a significant milestone in Starbucks effort to eliminate one billion plastic straws globally per year. Starbucks will continue to shift away from single-use packaging and plastics … the strawless lid made from polypropylene, meets the Association of Plastic Recyclers design guidelines for recyclability and can be recycled in many markets in the U.S. and Canada … Straws will also remain available in stores for customers upon request …” #Recycling #SingleUsePlastic #FoodPackaging #Starbucks
Nestle Amplifies Packaging Goals – In a September 7, 2020 news release, Nestle amplified “… its actions to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable … and to reduce its use of virgin plastics by one-third… by 2025 … the company announced a series of new initiatives that include a USD 30 million investment to increase food-grade recycled plastics in the US, a refillable system for pet food in Chile and first-of-its-kind recyclable paper packaging for Maggi bouillon cubes in France. Eighty seven percent of Nestlé’s packaging is already recyclable or reusable …” – The company is using a three-pillar approach launched in January 2019 “… Developing new packaging … Shaping a waste-free future … [and] Driving new behavior … the company … is seeking to identify and support innovative solutions through the Nestlé Creating Shared Value (CSV) Prize, which launches 30 September. In partnership with the non-profit organization Ashoka, the Nestlé CSV Prize will award CHF 250 000 in grants for system change innovations in areas such as alternative delivery systems and ground-up solutions to tackle plastic waste …” #Nestle #SingleUsePlastic #PackagingWaste #Recycling
