In an effort to combat the increasing use of non-recyclable plastics, Martin Bourque and the Ecology Center in Berkeley advocate for laws and programs that reduce plastic consumption. Their strategies, including a bag reduction initiative and a disposable foodware ordinance, have been adopted at state levels and by other cities.
Petroleum-based plastics have a profound impact on human health and the environment. The production of greenhouse gasses from the creation of plastics and the sheer quantity of plastic waste yielded from human activities significantly contribute to climate change, disrupting marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Bioplastics are a promising solution, upholding the strength of petroleum-based plastics but compostable and biodegradable. We spoke with Raegan Kelly of Better for All about shifting the paradigm of human consumption of plastic by using biodegradable cups.
Over the last two decades, vegan leather has grown in popularity. The catch? It’s usually made with polyesters that can’t be recycled. In today’s episode, we speak to the cofounder of biomaterials company Polybion about their carbon neutral leather alternative Celium, which is produced by feeding agricultural waste to bacteria.
The U.S. produces so much waste that this waste can be quantified using Olympic-sized swimming pools as negligible units of measurement.
Many “recyclable” materials are not recycled or even recyclable. While papers and metals are recycled at relatively high rates, recycling rates for plastic are below 10 percent. Most plastics display numerical codes, purporting to denote a standardized and elaborate recycling system. But the system is convoluted, sometimes confusing even recycling facilities and identifying recycling processes that are not used.