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Monday, jun 15
Tag:
Plastic Pollution
News
'Plastics Crisis' Costs $1.5T Annually, Study Says: 'World Cannot Recycle Its Way Out'
Researchers are warning about a "global plastics crisis" that's costing about $1.5 trillion a year in deaths and medical issues. The estimate comes from a new study published in The Lancet medical journal on Sunday, Aug. 3. Plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, and less than 10% is ever recycled. Plastics are made from fossil fuels and contain more than 16,000 chemicals. Around 8,000 megatons are polluting Earth's environment, including the most remote places on the planet. Chemicals and microplastics have been found in the brains and other body parts of humans, along with lan…
Politics
Chemistry Council Lobbyists Skirt Campaign Finance Laws: Rivertowns Activists Fight Back
In a David and Goliath standoff, 33 members of Beyond Plastics’s Lower Westchester Chapter, mostly Rivertowns residents, and 250 recycling and plastic reduction advocates met in Albany on May 7th to challenge industry lobbyists and encourage State legislators to Put People over Plastics. The group is fighting for passage of the NYS Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) even as industry lobbyists try their best to kill it. With a strong PRRIA, New York has an opportunity to address the monumental scourge of plastic pollution and lead the nation in reducing wasteful si…
News
Hidden Dangers: Study Reveals High Levels Of Plastics In People's Brains
A new study is raising fresh concerns about the hidden dangers of microplastics — this time inside the human brain. Researchers at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences found that plastic particles have not only reached the brain but are present at higher concentrations there than in any other organ. Even more alarming, the buildup appears to be accelerating, with plastic accumulation increasing by 50 percent over the past eight years. The study, published in Nature Medicine, involved an analysis of brain tissue collected during autopsies and stored by the New Mexico Office of…
Lifestyle
We’ve Got To Ditch Single-Use Plastics
We’ve got to ditch single-use plastics. We have adopted a disposable lifestyle in which around 50% of plastic is used once and then thrown away. Today, single-use plastics present some of the biggest environmental hazards because plastic can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. (A plastic water bottle takes 450 years.) And when plastic breaks down into microplastics, tiny 5mm particles, the dangers increase exponentially. When you discard plastics, they remain in landfills for decades. Contrary to popular belief, only 6% of plastic (actually) gets recycled. As plastics biodegrade, they can…
Business
NY AG James Sues Westchester-Headquartered PepsiCo For Contributing To Plastic Pollution
New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Westchester County-headquartered PepsiCo and accusing the soda company of significantly contributing to plastic pollution in the state. The lawsuit, which alleges PepsiCo Inc. harms both the public and the environment with its products' single-use plastic packaging, was filed and announced by James on Wednesday, Nov. 15. According to the lawsuit, the company, which has its global headquarters in Purchase at 700 Anderson Hill Rd., "contributes significantly" to high levels of plastic pollution along the Buffalo River, contaminating…
Business
Wegmans Will Eliminate Plastic Bags In All Stores
Wegmans is going all-in on its plastic bag ban. The grocery giant announced that it will eliminate the use of plastic bags companywide by the end of 2022 as it seeks to shift customers to reusable bags, which they said is "the best option to solve the environmental challenge of single-use grocery bags.” Moving forward, Wegmans locations will be charging five cents per paper bag, mirroring measures that have already been put in place in New York and other major markets. Officials said that in areas that have eliminated plastic bags, approximately a quarter of customers use paper bags, whil…
Lifestyle
Regulations Finalized For NY Plastic Bag Ban To Take Effect
Enforcement on the ban of single-use plastic bags at New York retailers on March 1 is expected to be lenient at the start, as final regulations for the ban are finalized. As of Sunday, March 1, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s legislation goes into effect, banning plastic bags statewide. However, amid fears of a paper bag shortage, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reportedly acknowledged that retailers may not have had enough time to remove plastic bags from their stores. As a result, the NYSDEC plans to let retailers finish off their supplies of plastic bags after t…
Lifestyle
Stop & Shop Offers Free Reusable Bags At Stores Ahead Of Statewide Ban On Plastic
With single-use plastic bags becoming banned from New York retailers, Stop & Shop is offering customers a new alternative with free reusable bags. In an effort to ease the transition from plastic to paper when the ban takes effect on Sunday, March 1, Stop & Shop is offering to trade carryout plastic bags for free reusable bags (while supplies last). Beginning on Saturday, Feb. 22, Stop & Shop will have information tables set up at stores to answer questions about the upcoming ban. The tables will also have giveaway items, including a free reusable bag for every customer who bri…
Business
Wegmans, With New Store In Area Near Opening, Phasing Out Single-Use Plastic Bags In NY
Have your reusable grocery bags ready? With a new store set to open in the area over the summer, Wegmans announced that the company is planning to phase out single-use plastic grocery bags in all its New York stores as of Monday, Jan .27. The grocery store giant announced on Monday, Jan. 6, that ahead of a planned statewide ban on single-use bags that takes effect in March, they will begin encouraging customers to use reusable bags. Related story: Wegmans Sets Official Opening Day For Harrison Location Paper bags will still be available for a five-cent fee, with sales being donated…
News
Stop & Shop To Ban Plastic Bags At All CT Stores
In just days, Stop & Shop will become the latest retailer in Connecticut to ban the use of single-use plastic bags. After Big Y announcing that it is eliminating the use of plastic bags in its Connecticut stores, Stop & Shop said that that, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 1, stores will begin eliminating the use of plastic bags at checkout. The store also announced that it will begin charging 10 cents per paper bag as of Tuesday, Sept. 3. The move is part of a statewide effort. “We know that the environmental impact of plastics is something our customers and communities care about he…
Business
Whole Foods Will Become First National Grocer To Ban Plastic Straws
Get ready to say goodbye to plastic straws, Whole Foods shoppers, the supermarket chain has officially announced that it will be the first national grocer to eliminate the product from its stores. By July, the retailer announced that it will remove plastic straws from all Whole Foods-operated venues. This includes Allegro coffee bars, juice bars and cafes. The ban includes all of the grocer’s locations throughout the United States as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. As a more sustainable alternative to plastic straws, officials say, Whole Foods employees will offer paper straws with …
Politics
Here's When Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Takes Effect In NY
Single-use plastic bags will soon be extinct in New York State. Citing pollution and concerns for animal safety on Earth Day, April 22, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will ban the use of single-use bags beginning on March 1, 2020. The plastic bag ban was included in Cuomo’s recently released $175.5 billion state budget. According to Cuomo, New Yorkers use billions of plastic bags annually, which do not biodegrade, creating massive amounts of litter in neighborhoods and waterways and posing a threat to the health of area residents and the environment. The ban is expected…
News
Vote Now: What Do You Think Of Dutchess' Ban On Plastic Bags?
Dutchess County is going green, and plastic bags will soon be a relic of the past at area retailers. Elected officials in Dutchess County have voted to eliminate single-use carryout bag at retail stores, joining several other counties in New York looking to ban plastic bags. The ban will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020. Between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled in the United States and they are not acceptable at certain recycling centers. "T…
Politics
Cuomo Announces Plan To Ban Plastic Bags
A day after the world celebrated Earth Day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a bill that would ban plastic bags throughout the state. Cuomo announced on Monday that he has introduced legislation that would ban single-use, plastic carryout bags based on the recommendation of the New York State Plastic Bags Task Force, which “outlined the environmental impact” of reducing the use of the bags at retail locations. Led by State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos along with co-chairs Sen. Thomas O'Mara and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, the Task Force was ta…
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