Plastic (Waste)

???Topic of the Week

Plastic (Waste)

Plastic has devastating consequences. It not only harms the environment and our health but also the climate - right from its production. This is because the production of plastics in particular generates large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions due to the high amount of energy needed. But even when plastic becomes waste, it releases greenhouse gases, causing enormous damage to the climate, whether in waste incinerators or during its decomposition in the environment. Read more.

Once plastic enters the environment, the damage is immense. It remains there for many hundreds of years, endangering the lives of animals and slowly decomposing into micro plastic. As micro plastic, it enters the air and water almost unhindered and poses a serious threat to our health as well.

The fight against plastic is underway, but unfortunately only slowly, while the demand for plastic is steadily growing. More support from regulators, companies and consumers is needed to reduce the problems caused by plastic and plastic waste. Read more.

Read on to learn about progressive, motivating projects and developments in the fight against plastic (waste) - one of the great tasks of our time!

Plastic Catcher in the Ocean

With the goal of collecting plastic from the oceans and thus reducing its negative impact on the environment, the project "The Ocean Cleanup" was founded almost 10 years ago. By this summer, autonomous systems had already removed more than 100 tons of plastic waste from the ocean. Since 2015, the organization has also been working on river cleanup systems as a way to reduce plastic discharge into oceans. As recently as October, a system of the latest Interceptor technology generation was installed on the California coast.

A Wheel in Action

The Juan-Díaz River is the dirtiest river in Panama. Tons of garbage end up here, and thus in the Pacific Ocean, every day. In May of this year, the NGO "Marea Verde" launched Wanda - the first floating trash trap in Latin America powered by renewable energy. It is intended to help get Panama's garbage problem under control.

???Earthly Delights

Plastic Waste in Germany Will Have a Price

New legislation in the draft from the German cabinet requires companies that manufacture products made from single-use plastic to contribute to the cost of waste disposal. To this end, they are to pay fees into a single-use plastic fund from 2025. This will make companies more responsible for protecting the environment and resources in the future!

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30%

Decrease in plastic waste on Australian beaches in the last 6 years. The more opportunities citizens and local authorities have to take action, the greater the reduction. Awareness pellets alone do not work. Australia has recognized this!

???Challenge of the Week

Omitting plastic is an essential, albeit not easy, step in the fight against plastic waste. Packaging-free stores offer us as consumers great opportunities. Here you can find a nationwide (Germany) list of "unpacked stores", and why not take on our 2zero App Challenge "Packaging-free shopping"?