Hands on Waste’s Post

In March, some of our staff were among the 225,000 participants who took part in The Big Plastic Count. Last week the results were published and it made for some shocking reading… 🏘️ UK households are throwing away an estimated 1.7 BILLION pieces of plastic a week – nearly 90 BILLION pieces a year 🤯 At Point 13, our team are passionate about recycling and reducing our impact on the planet but it’s clear that plastic pollution is a problem and recycling alone isn’t enough. That’s why we’re encouraging all our staff to support The Global Plastics Treaty this #EarthDay. If you’re feeling inspired to act, check out the helpful links below 👇 🗑️ https://lnkd.in/d_DgV44q 🌍 https://lnkd.in/g7TSpkQj 📢 https://lnkd.in/eyePEmRj 📢 https://lnkd.in/eUEndW7Z

“Here’s a Better Way To Combat Plastic Waste” Hear from Steve Hardman, CEO of Plastic Collective in Bloomberg News on using the capital markets to combat the global plastic waste problem, the United Nations Plastic Treaty and the fragility of the world’s recycling system. “The most important thing for the Plastic Treaty to get right is the development of sufficient global recycling capacity to ensure that all plastic used will be recycled and a circular economy will be realized. That’s a colossal industrial undertaking” https://lnkd.in/eEDfwwdE #plastic #capitalmarkets #UNplastictreaty

"Plastics recycling has been falsely characterized as safe and effective. In fact, only a small fraction of plastics is ultimately recycled. “Recycled” plastics from the Global North are often merely shipped to the Global South, where they are ultimately incinerated. Incineration includes both open burning and burning to generate energy or fuel. In either case, incineration pollutes the air with heavy metals, greenhouse gases, and carbon monoxide, and pollutes water and soil with toxic particulates, which disrupt ecosystems, cause biodiversity loss, and contaminate plants and animals, including food sources. Recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals that can poison people and contaminate communities." -UNEP/PP/INC.4/INF/3 (Submitted by UNHCR) This is the true definition of Planet vs. Plastics. Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue but a human rights issue. Is the ultimate answer complete ban of plastic in general? #inc4 #planetvsplastic #plasticpollution #humanrights #environmentalresponsibility #thinkgreenthriveglobal

Waste recycling needs different machineries! Even when it comes to Plastics not all plastic types are treated the same way! Every type of Plastic Waste needs different machine & processes! as these machineries are expensive not every recycling company may own all types of recycling tools! This is one of the big reasons that about more than 90% of global plastic waste is not managed or is miss managed; according to OECD's report (you can find the link in comments)! Although recycle collecting applications like Sustainablife's Trashking app help such companies get more out of urban stacks in a regions or neighborhood, as a professional environment lover & climate activist we need to take a bit more step, categorizing our wastes. Here you can find out how we can do so & help easing plastic waste or even all other types of waste managed! #plasticpollution #wastemanagement #wastemanagementsolutions #plasticwastemanagement #plasticwaste #plasticrecyclingprocess #plasticrecycling #recyclingapplication

Not Biodiversity, just plastics taking a swim. A classic representation of the externalisation of the cost of managing plastic waste. Downstream communities have to deal with tonnes of plastic waste from products manufactured, used and discarded elsewhere. This raises critical questions on jurisdictions of Extended Producer Responsibility programs. Equally, though labled recyclable, the low recycling rates (<10%) tell us otherwise on the practicality of that solution.

By Olivia Rugard, Kirti Vasta Happy Earth Day America! -This Earth Day the focus is on the global plastic pollution crisis -Plastic waste is everywhere, from the deepest part of the ocean to inside human bodies -Only a tiny fraction of used plastic is recycled -Several readers asked us why are microplastics so bad?: -Microplastics — tiny bits of plastic between 1 and 5,000 micrometers in length — and nanoplastics, which are even smaller, are everywhere, and they’re hard to find and remove. Researchers have found them in bottled water on beaches, and inside the human body. -As they degrade, they offer a host for heavy metals, bacteria and viruses. We’re still not sure exactly what they might do inside the human body, but research in marine life has found a declin e in feeding, fertility, larval growth and development, and structural damage to the internal organs of fish. -What do you think companies should do to prevent the plastic pollution crisis?

55% recycling for plastics? Let’s make it happen! ♻️ TOMRA is calling for bold, mandatory recycling targets in the UN’s global plastics treaty – starting with at least 55% for plastic packaging. 👇 Why? By setting clear, country-specific goals, we can accelerate the shift to high-performance recycling systems and a circular future. 💡 With a 55% recycling rate, tailored strategies for different countries, and investments in the most effective recycling systems, we can build a future where waste is minimized, and circularity thrives. 🔗 Want to know more? Check out TOMRA’s 10 recommendations for the UN’s plastic pollution treaty here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dYpHXVsA #PlasticRecycling #CircularEconomy #TOMRA #UN #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

As the 4th Negotiations on the GLOBAL PLASTIC TREATY have just begun, it's important to consider the challenges facing plastic recycling efforts. According to a recent publication, the global market has been flooded with cheap PPP, making it difficult for recycled plastics to compete with virgin plastics and resulting in a loss of market share. Additionally, single-use and short-lived products have low recycling potential, increasing the risk of material loss in the supply chain and pollution in the environment. Need for upstream reduction of cheap primary plastic polymers is urgent. Let's work together to find sustainable solutions for our planet. #GlobalPlasticTreaty #PlasticPollution #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/e6n4PBDS

📢 Successful Trial in UK Kerbside Circular Recycling We are pleased to share that a group of industry experts, working together under the UK Plastics Pact, has successfully proven that UK kerbside collected tray waste can be recycled back into new food trays. This trial demonstrates that true circularity is possible, keeping valuable materials within the UK supply chain and reducing our need for virgin resources. Our thanks go to all the partners involved for their collaborative spirit and dedication to this important achievement. This is a positive step forward in our collective journey towards a more sustainable future. 🔗https://lnkd.in/e_9FqSNn #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Recycling #UKPlasticsPact

As 175 countries take part in talks to propose a Global Treaty on reducing Plastic Pollution, we at The Shabra Group are recycling and reprocessing over 10,000 Tonnes of waste plastics in Ireland each year. As the only company in Ireland that has a hot-wash plant for reprocessing PET, we help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, contributing to the #circulareconomy and #sustainability. From film we reprocess we manufacture a range of recycled bags and sacks #recycle #reprocess #sustainability #circulareconomy