Tag Archives for plastics
New Orleanians Work to Recycle Ubiquitous Beads
25 million pounds of plastic Mardi Gras beads flow into New Orleans each year, presenting the city with a unique problem once the revelry is over: Traditional recycling centers cannot process the beads. However, a few nonprofits in recent years … Continue reading
Taking A Closer Look at the Meaning of ‘Biodegradable’
Trenton, NJ-based TerraCycle Inc. specializes in the creation of recycling systems designed to process materials that are typically difficult to recycle. The company then converts this waste into higher-value consumer products and packaging (a process known as “upcycling“). In a semi-regular … Continue reading
A Plastic Beach Develops Along the Yucatán Peninsula
An undeveloped portion of Mexico’s pristine Caribbean coastline is slowly being turned into a depository for seaborne plastic waste: Finding garbage on the beach is hardly new to Mexico, or anywhere sea meets land. But this ecologically rich region of … Continue reading
Japan Excels at Plastics Recycling
Japan is one of the most successful countries in the world for recycling plastics. In 2010, 77% of plastic waste was recycled, up from 73% in 2006 and 39% in 1996, according to the nation’s Plastic Waste Management Institute. The … Continue reading