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America has long had a plastic problem. It's an urgent question — what do we do with the 40 million tons of plastic waste we produce annually? One year of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disposable-face-mask-waste-toxic-poison-water-nanoplastics-pollution-health-2022-2">plastic waste</a> is roughly enough to smother the entirety of Manhattan a meter deep, and it has to go somewhere. For years, the answer was simple: Make a lot of it, dump most of it in the landfill, and make the rest of it someone else's problem — the US regularly exported 7 million tons a year to China alone. Some of it was melted into lesser plastic; the rest was incinerated or buried.But then, in 2018, China cut off plastic imports.Now, America is coming to terms with a hard truth: Plastic was never designed to be recycled and there's no profitable way to recycle 91% of it. The environmental impacts have been disastrous. About 430 million tons of plastic are produced globally every year, accounting for 14% of global oil demand. The refinement of plastic alone emits up to 235 million tons of greenhouse gases a year. Most of that plastic breaks down into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-risks-heart-attack-stroke-study-2024-3">microplastics</a> that make their way into the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/expert-how-i-keep-baby-family-safe-toxic-plastic-microplastics-2023-1">air, rain, and our bodies</a>. Almost 95% of America's water supply contains plastic fibers.While the US, the UK, and other European countries responded to China's ban by sending their waste to places like Thailand and Malaysia, those countries then followed China in cutting off waste imports. The message was clear: The Global South would no longer be a dumping ground for the West.<div type="image" title="A scavenger drinks water while collecting plastic waste to sell to a recycling center at a landfill in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia in March 2024" height="3333" width="5000" msid="109561992" hostid="261"></div>America is now scrambling to find alternatives. One approach peddled by oil corporations like Chevron and Exxon has been to turn plastic into crude oil, which they say extends the life of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-americas-largest-waste-hauler-investing-in-a-plastic-recycler-2022-9">plastic that would've otherwise ended up in a landfill</a>. As these companies look to replace projected lost revenue from the phasing out of fossil fuels, they're lobbying to blanket the country with 150 plants that specialize in pyrolysis, a form of chemical recycling that melts plastic down into crude oil to be used for fuel and petrochemicals, as well as to make lesser-quality plastics. While advocates champion these facilities for breaking down hard-to-recycle plastics that other <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-recycling-startups-aluminum-plastic-valuable-materials-2024-4">recyclers toss aside</a>, critics condemn them for emitting toxic particles, relying heavily on government subsidies, and acting as a greenwashed alternative to addressing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-recycled-into-bricks-ivory-coast-conceptos-plasticos-2023-2">the plastic problem</a>.As they're pitched as an innovation set to bring us a "circular economy" of plastic that allows us to stop making new plastic and just reuse what we have, marketing for pyrolysis and recycling overlooks a glaring fact: Plastic production doubles every 15 to 20 years.This isn't sustainable, Tim Miller, a vice president at the Ohio plastic-recycling center Royal Paper Stock, told me, adding: "But I don't know how to stop it." Pyrolysis is another sign of America's plastic paralysis.In the years after World War II, plastic flooded the marketplace as a cheap alternative to otherwise scarce and finite materials. It was hailed as a democratic harbinger of a new, utopian age of capitalism, fueling the subsequent decades of cheap consumerism that became synonymous with the American dream."The continuous flow of oil fueled not just cars but an entire culture based on the consumption of new products made of plastics," Susan Freinkel wrote in her book "Plastic: A Toxic Love Story."Plastic went from being practically nonexistent in 1940 to being consumed at a rate of 30 pounds a person each year by 1960. Just as quickly, it became a target of environmental movements protesting litter, garbage-filled oceans, and landfills brimming with plastic. Oil and chemical companies responded by looking into whether recycling was realistic or, more importantly, profitable. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled">It wasn't</a>. So companies shifted the blame for the pollution onto consumers. The "Crying Indian" commercial, funded by beverage and packaging corporations, aired in 1971, showing a Native American character crying at the sight of litter.The messaging worked. As companies expanded plastic into every facet of life, recycling became the due diligence needed to sustain our hyperconsumption. We didn't worry about plastic bottles because the recycling truck carried them off to a new life. Companies like Coca-Cola and Nestlé slapped "100% recycled" and "100% recyclable" labels on their packaging to appear sustainable. Just last year, the Plastics Industry Association launched a million-dollar ad campaign, "Recycling Is Real," claiming that it's "not only real, but feasible and economical."While recycling is real, the vast majority of plastic isn't recycled, mostly due to how expensive it is to clean and sort it effectively. A 2022 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found only 9% of all plastic ever produced had been recycled; 72% ended up in landfills or the environment. Unlike aluminum or glass, the plastic that can be recycled rarely results in replacing one recycled water bottle with another.<div type="image" title="Recycling sorters at Recologys Recycle Central sort out pieces of flimsy and film plastic destined for landfill in 2019 in San Francisco" height="4480" width="6720" msid="109561996" hostid="261"></div>Instead, it's a process of downcycling — turning plastic into lesser plastics like plant containers or bins before they are relegated to a landfill. By downcycling a tiny portion of plastic waste, companies can genuinely reuse a relatively small share of plastic, while convincing consumers that the industry has created a circular economy of infinitely recycled plastic. Never mind that products advertised as being made from recycled plastic are made almost entirely out of new plastic or that almost all the 300 pounds of plastic every American consumes each year (10 times as much as in 1960) ends up in a landfill, in the ocean, or incinerated.Larry Thomas, a former president of what's now called the Plastics Industry Association, told NPR in 2020: "If the public thinks that recycling is working, then they are not going to be as concerned about the environment." And if they aren't worried about the impact of plastic on the environment, they won't threaten the plastics industry.Since 2018, the fossil-fuel and plastics industries have faced two harsh realities: Oil is being phased out in favor of clean, renewable energy, and plastic waste can no longer be exported to developing nations in the South. To replace their fuel losses, oil companies are going all in on plastic. The International Energy Agency predicted in 2018 that petrochemical products like plastic would outpace trucks, aviation, and shipping in oil demand by 2050. In a recent report, ExxonMobil predicted that petrochemicals used largely for plastics and fertilizer would account for nearly all of the oil industry's growth by 2050, replacing industrial fuel demand, which is projected to decrease. To keep expanding plastic production, however, it needs to look sustainable.<div type="image" title="A Good Year sign in Akron, Ohio" height="960" width="1200" msid="109562000" hostid="261"></div>Akron, Ohio, which hosts about one-quarter of the country's polymer companies, is ground zero for this push. Designated by the Biden administration as the only "tech hub" in Ohio, the city has received tens of millions of dollars from the CHIPS Act, which it hopes to use to create a circular economy around plastic.In 2012, Alterra Energy opened America's first large-scale plastic-pyrolysis facility. According to its website, Alterra converts "plastics back into their original building blocks to produce new plastics and other valuable products." The crude oil produced by the Akron facility is shipped to petrochemical companies around the globe to be purified and made into new plastics. But it's unclear how effective this process is.A study published in 2023 by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that the economic and environmental impact of turning pyrolysis oil back into plastic was actually far worse than it was to make brand-new plastic. As a result, they said, pyrolysis oil is "typically reintegrated into the petrochemical industry where only a small fraction is used for closed-loop recycling."<div type="image" title="The Alterra Energy facility in Akron, Ohio" height="960" width="1200" msid="109562003" hostid="261"></div>"It has had, let's say, limited success," Miller, the Royal Paper Stock vice president, said about pyrolysis. "No one yet in the United States that I know of is just cranking in plastic and pumping out oil." He pointed to a pyrolysis facility in Oregon that just announced it would shut down after tens of millions of dollars in losses.Residents in Akron are split on the impacts of the Alterra facility. On the one hand, pyrolysis melts plastic to be reused instead of sending it to the landfill or incinerator. On the other, it emits cancerous pollutants such as mercury, benzene, and arsenic, and props up the very fossil-fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis.<div type="image" title="Kelley Sayre in front of her garage in Akron, Ohio" height="1500" width="1200" msid="109562007" hostid="261"></div>"Akron's going for 'the green city on the hill,'" Kelley Sayre, a fourth-generation Akron resident, told me, "but it's really 'the greenwashing city.'"Vicky Abou-Ghalioum, the lead petrochemicals organizer of Buckeye Environmental Network, has been working with Akron residents concerned about the environmental and health impacts of chemical recycling, but it's proved challenging in a city ruled by polymers. "People are afraid to talk about plastic," she told me. Her organization has been pushing the EPA to address the influx of planned pyrolysis facilities in Ohio, arguing that they're bad for the environment and people, and aren't even profitable.In a statement to Business Insider, Alterra Energy said its Akron facility is profitable and diverts over 100,000 pounds of plastic each day from landfills. "We operate in a heavily regulated industry and are in compliance with those requirements," the company said in response to concerns about toxic emissions. It also said one of its customers uses Alterra's oil product exclusively for making new plastic.Despite the problems of pyrolysis, many manufacturers hail it as a sustainable miracle. Companies such as Eastman Chemical Co. see chemical recycling as the solution to recycling or composting 50% of their plastic packaging by 2025, and the American Chemistry Council claims the growing industry is necessary for fostering what it calls "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.americanchemistry.com/chemistry-in-america/news-trends/press-release/2022/america-s-plastic-makers-encourage-congressional-focus-on-advanced-recycling-to-achieve-circularity">plastics circularity</a>." But these companies face an uphill battle. Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York City launched an $85 million campaign in 2022 to stop over 120 proposed petrochemical facilities. "Petrochemical plants poison our air and water — killing Americans and harming the health of entire communities," Bloomberg said in a statement.In the plastic-recycling industry, pyrolysis is seen as a well funded but failing experiment. A 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beyondplastics.org/publications/chemical-recycling">report</a> by Beyond Plastics and the International Pollutants Elimination Network found that the 11 pyrolysis facilities in operation in the US required massive public subsidies, most couldn't operate at full capacity, and only two of the plants sold the crude oil to be used exclusively for plastic production. Most of it was sold to make fuels and chemicals. Based on their findings, they argued that pyrolysis was ultimately "a public relations distraction to prevent plastic regulation and prop up the profits of the petrochemical/plastics industry."Though the conundrum of plastic grows more dire by the day, there are signs of hope. In early <a target="_blank" href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/historic-day-campaign-beat-plastic-pollution-nations-commit-develop">2022</a>, the UN adopted a resolution that could send shock waves throughout the entire plastic-disposing world. Heads of state, environment ministers, and UN representatives agreed to end all plastic pollution with a legally binding international plastic treaty to be officially adopted later this year. "Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic," Espen Barth Eide, Norway's then-minister for climate and the environment, said in the announcement. "With today's resolution we are officially on track for a cure."The resolution would establish an agreement addressing plastic at every level, from production to recycling, in an attempt to reduce plastic pollution worldwide. Organizations such as the international coalition Break Free From Plastic have said that cutting the production of plastic has to be on the table. "The oil and gas industry sees plastic as its primary growth market and is investing billions of dollars in new and expanded facilities," the organization wrote in a 2022 statement. The group recommended bans on single-use plastics, a plastic tax, and regulations that prioritize plastics that can be recycled."Reduction in the production of plastic is entirely possible," Abou-Ghalioum of Buckeye Environmental Network told me. She pointed to the more than 500 cities and 12 states that have banned plastic bags, reducing the number of bags used by the billions. "It's talked about how we rely on plastic for so many things, and it just feels like a marketing ploy to make us reluctant to shift away from it," she said. "We had everything we ever needed before plastic."The tough reality is that the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/landfill-plastic-area">9.5 billion tons of plastic</a> with us will be here for hundreds of years. But how many millions of more tons are added will be determined by the types of solutions we arrive at today.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/taylor-dorrell">Taylor Dorrell</a> is a writer and photographer based in Columbus, Ohio.

China stopped taking our plastic. Now America is drowning in it. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>BPA is an industrial chemical that scientists have linked to hormone disruption and diabetes risk.</li><li>Plastic water bottles and food containers can leach BPA into what you eat and drink. </li></ul>Scientists have long suspected that industrial chemicals used in plastic water bottles can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/endocrine-disruptors-dangerous-chemicals-2019-1">disrupt human hormones</a>.But, to date, evidence has been observational, meaning it shows an <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12902-018-0310-y">association</a> between plastics exposure and certain diseases, but can't prove a causal effect.Now, a groundbreaking new study shows direct evidence that bisphenol A — or, BPA, a chemical used to package food and drink — can reduce sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.An impaired ability to respond to insulin, known as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/insulin-resistance">insulin resistance</a>, can mean chronically high blood sugar levels and a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.The researchers, who presented their findings at the <a target="_blank" href="https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/73/Supplement_1/17-OR/156057/17-OR-ADA-Presidents-Select-Abstract-Oral?searchresult=1">2024 Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association</a>, said this study shows the EPA may need to reconsider the safe limits for exposure to BPA in plastic bottles, food containers, and other containers.<h2 id="7b52d0a0-c0d2-4e4f-8b85-4e61a63bb01a">Even so-called safe levels of BPA may cause health issues</h2>Researchers from California Polytechnic State University studied 40 healthy adults who were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a small dose of BPA daily.After four days, the participants who were given BPA were less responsive to insulin, while the placebo group did not experience any change.The dose of BPA that participants received, 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, is an amount currently classified as safe by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/bpa_action_plan.pdf">EPA</a>."These results suggest that maybe the US EPA safe dose should be reconsidered and that healthcare providers could suggest these changes to patients," Todd Hagobian, senior author of the new study and professor at California Polytechnic State University, said in a press release.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-packaging-other-substances-come-contact-food-information-consumers/bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-application">FDA considers BPA to be safe at low levels</a> occurring in food containers, up to 5 mg per kg body weight per day, or 100 times the amount the new study found to be risky. Some researchers argue the FDA <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023005676#s0015">guidelines are outdated</a>.Other regulatory agencies around the world have taken a tougher stance on the chemical — the <a target="_blank" href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13832-Food-safety-restrictions-on-bisphenol-A-BPA-and-other-bisphenols-in-food-contact-materials_en">European Commission</a> proposed to ban BPA in products that come into contact with food or beverages by the end of 2024.<h2 id="bd38d5b3-4d97-4d49-9c05-3b18689f3f6c">Environmental contaminants can be a major threat to human health</h2>The concern about BPA is part of a broader alarm being raised about our everyday exposure to substances that may be harmful to our health.Other recent research has found <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-risks-heart-attack-stroke-study-2024-3">microplastics</a>, particles so tiny they can infiltrate human cells, may potentially wreak havoc with our health. They've been found everywhere, from human lungs to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-penis-muscles-for-the-first-time-study-2024-6">reproductive organs</a>.Understanding how the substances we encounter every day may affect our health long-term could help us make better decisions about how to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes."Given that diabetes is a leading cause of death in the US, it is crucial to understand even the smallest factors that contribute to the disease," Hagobian said in the press release. "We were surprised to see that reducing BPA exposure, such as using stainless steel or glass bottles and BPA-free cans, may lower diabetes risk."June 24, 2024 — An earlier version of this article misstated the difference between what the EPA considers safe BPA exposure and what the study found to be safe. It is 100 times higher, not 1000.

Groundbreaking study shows why drinking from plastic bottles may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-super-pigs-wild-hogs-could-spread-us-2023-11">Feral pigs</a> cause billions of dollars in damage to properties and agriculture across the US.</li><li>The US has struggled to control the feral pig population, which is between 6 and 9 million.</li></ul>Across the US, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-boars-feral-hogs-menacing-cities-photos-2019-8">hogs are damaging</a> lawns, sprinkler systems, golf courses, and crops. The agricultural destruction alone is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest/topic/feral-swine-bomb">estimated</a> at $2.5 billion a year.Case in point, earlier this year, a video doorbell recorded footage of a pack of wild pigs rooting around a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/feral-hogs-tear-up-property-descend-on-city-in-corona-california-2021-11">suburban lawn</a> in San Antonio, Texas. It was the second time in a few weeks that hogs had ripped up grass in the neighborhood, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/01/01/video-wild-hogs-inflict-damage-on-far-west-side-neighborhood/">KSAT</a>, a local news station.In addition to doing lots of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-pigs-in-america-facts-damages-helicopters-si-report-2020-1">property damage</a>, the pigs also carry disease, breed quickly, are difficult to trap, and can be aggressive toward humans, feral pig expert Jack Mayer told Business Insider.The US has been trying to keep the feral pig population — estimated to be between 6 and 9 million — in check for over a decade. A handful of states have seen success, but others, like Texas, Florida, and Georgia, are struggling.For Mayer, a research scientist with the Savannah River National Laboratory, it's an uphill, ongoing battle. "They're very secretive," he said. And "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-boar-rescued-two-piglets-from-a-trap-2021-9">they're smart</a>, so they're tough to control."<h2 id="12cbda38-3d8e-4f95-86c8-d5feb4cdd8af">Feral pigs will eat almost anything</h2><div type="image" title="A man in a black jacket spreads pig feed near a fence in the woods" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492705" hostid="261" sizebytes="743050"></div>Pigs didn't arrive in North America until the 1500s, so they're not a native species. By the mid-1600s, they were already a nuisance, destroying property and menacing children, <a target="_blank" href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/creatures-of-empire-9780195304466">according to</a> one New England colonist in 1658.In the centuries since, not much has slowed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-super-pigs-likely-to-invade-us-dakotas-montana-minnesota-2024-5">wild pig population</a> from expanding. A single sow can have as many as 10 piglets, <a target="_blank" href="https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/feralswine.html">sometimes</a> twice a year. The feral hogs' genes are often a mix of wild boar and domestic pig.Even formerly domestic pigs can quickly adapt to life in the wild. "For whatever reason, domestic pigs go wilder quicker than any other species of domestic livestock that we have," Mayer said.Out in the wild, these omnivorous animals don't rely on humans to feed them. And <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/feral-hog-over-400-pounds-san-antonio-golf-course-captured-2019-9">they're not picky</a>. Mayer has seen feral hogs forage at landfills and feed on diapers, rubber bands, and plastic. In 2019, Louisiana researchers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nola.com/news/environment/whats-inside-a-feral-hogs-stomach-you-name-it/article_7970e24e-2443-11ea-a1cb-8fd30c0206c3.html">found</a> dozens of native species, from acorns to salamanders to turtles, in their stomachs.While they're often a bit leaner than their domesticated relatives, the feral pigs can still get to be 250 pounds, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/operational-wildlife-activities/feral-swine/identification">according to the USDA</a>. This means as they move about in urban and suburban areas, they can cause traffic accidents, Mayer said.Deadly interactions between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-killed-by-feral-hogs-outside-home-in-texas-2019-11">humans and pigs</a> are very rare in the US. Worldwide, though, Mayer found that feral hogs killed 172 people between 2000 and 2019.Most of the attacks are defensive, he said, and happen when, "for whatever reason, they feel threatened." The hogs have sharp teeth and tusks and can run fast.<div type="image" title="A man in shorts, a tank top, and hat walks by a muddy area in the middle of grass" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492704" hostid="261" sizebytes="1126300"></div>They're also vectors for dozens of diseases and parasites found in their feces, fluids, and <a target="_blank" href="https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/parasite-borne-diseases/">undercooked</a> meat. One of Mayer's biggest worries is that they could spread African swine fever to domestic animals. Humans can't catch the disease, but it's deadly for pigs.Asian countries have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.844209/full">slaughtered</a> millions of pigs to try and stop the outbreak of the virus. European countries are taking similar measures.If the virus arrives in North America, "it's going to spread, and it's going to be ugly," Mayer said.<h2 id="c3c744f6-f29a-49b0-ac16-6e733fb9c674">A losing battle to control the wild pig population</h2>Because hogs reproduce so quickly, some states <a target="_blank" href="https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/feralswine.html">estimate</a> that they would need to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-cassidy-says-people-need-ar-15s-kill-feral-pigs-2022-5">reduce the population</a> size by 60% to 70% each year to keep the numbers from growing.Currently, many states trap and euthanize pigs. In 2011, Texas passed the "pork-chopper bill," which allows <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-hunts-wild-boars-feral-hogs-bow-arrow-2020-1">feral hog hunting</a> from helicopters. But <a target="_blank" href="https://woub.org/2024/06/16/ohio-house-passes-bill-allowing-landowners-to-shoot-feral-pigs-without-license-2/">Ohio</a> and Kentucky are currently working on banning pig hunting. Some experts believe it can actually make the problem worse, since hunted pigs tend to become more secretive and harder to trap.Texas and Oklahoma recently announced they'll begin using a substance with warfarin, similar to rat poison, to help control their feral hog populations.<div type="image" title="Two feral pigs in the Florida Everglades" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492706" hostid="261" sizebytes="288110"></div>"This is going to be potentially another tool in the toolbox," Mayer said, "but the people in the US never have really warmed up to the use of poisons for any kind of wildlife." It's a move many have opposed in the past because of its potential effects on wildlife that eat poisoned animals, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/texas-feral-hog-problem-swine-country/">Texas Monthly</a> reported in 2023.Mayer said another factor that makes controlling wild hogs difficult is that the entire country is a mosaic of different methods. And not everyone wants them gone, he said."You've got some people that love them, some people that hate them," he said, "and because of that, I don't think we're ever going to get rid of them."

Dangerous feral hogs that destroy lawns and eat plastic are growing across the US, and states can't kill them fast enough

Straws, plastic masks and all other single use plastics banned — here are the fines and alternatives

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A few states and some countries are passing laws to combat plastic waste.</li><li><keyword id="11892889" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="california" source="Orion">California</keyword> is the fourth US state that will make companies pay for packaging waste.</li></ul>The first half of 2022 has seen a wave of new policies cracking down on <keyword id="12318689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plastic-pollution" source="Orion">plastic pollution</keyword> in the US and countries like <keyword id="6356687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword> and <keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. In recent weeks, California became the fourth state that will force companies to pay for cleaning up packaging waste, while Canada and India have banned the production and import of certain <keyword id="14446315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="single-use-plastic" source="Orion">single-use plastic</keyword> products. Advocates say the momentum feels like a turning point in the global fight to eliminate the eight million metric tons of plastic waste <a href="https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/">that flows into oceans each year</a>. According to the United Nations, this is the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck every minute. The vast majority of plastic never gets recycled and ends up in landfills, in incinerators, or as litter on land and in waterways. The US <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26132/chapter/1">is the world's largest contributor</a> to the problem despite representing <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/">less than 5% of the global population</a>."The public is increasingly making the connection between plastic and so many other issues, which is expanding the coalition of groups and individuals who care deeply about this," Anja Brandon, a US plastics-policy analyst at the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, said. "That, in turn, is expanding the number of policymakers who recognize plastic pollution as critically important." Brandon said those connections include how plastic is made from the fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis. Local governments in the US often build plastic-manufacturing plants, landfills, and incinerators <a href="https://blogs.newschool.edu/news/2022/05/tishman-environment-and-design-centers-work-reveals-most-incinerators-pollute-low-income-and-communities-of-color-and-worsen-climate-change/">in marginalized communities</a>, which then disproportionately expose these communities to pollution. Researchers are also discovering tiny particles of plastic — known as microplastics — <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/microplastics-detected-in-human-blood-180979826/">in human blood</a> and stool, raising questions about potential health effects.The <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> push has led some big brands and plastic makers to promise to make more recyclable or compostable packaging and to channel money toward local infrastructure so producers can get their materials back and reuse them. "We're investing in new technology to make sure the percent of recycled content in packaging increases and designing things to be lighter," Jen Ronk, the senior sustainability manager at Dow North America Packaging &amp; Specialty Plastics, said. The company <a href="http://www.businessfor2030.org/dow">also pledged to spend more than $1 billion</a> on efforts to manage plastic waste. Here's a rundown of the latest action: <h2>California</h2>On June 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB54">signed the most aggressive restrictions</a> on plastic in the country into law. By 2032, producers must use 25% less plastic in packaging for items like shampoo, food containers, and cups. Ocean Conservancy estimates that this provision alone will <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/news/sb54-california-righting-ship-leading-u-s-ocean-plastic-pollution-crisis/">reduce plastic production by 23 million tons</a>, or 26 times the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge. By the same date, at least 65% of plastic must be recycled, a major jump from the <a href="https://sd26.senate.ca.gov/index.php/news/press-release/senator-allen-introduces-bill-phase-out-unsustainable-single-use-plastics">less than 15% that is recycled today</a>. "We know that to reduce the plastic-pollution crisis, we have to make less in the first place and reuse more through a circular economy," Brandon said, adding that the <keyword id="14446313" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="california-law" source="Orion">California law</keyword> is the first to address both sides of that equation. Plastic makers will pay $5 billion into a state fund to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of pollution from their products, as well. The industry will pay for collecting, sorting, and recycling waste through a fee on packaging, which will shift the burden away from taxpayers who now fund municipal-waste management. That policy, known as extended-producer responsibility, has picked up steam over the last year as Maine, Oregon, and most recently <keyword id="11918419" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="colorado" source="Orion">Colorado</keyword>, passed similar legislation. <h2>Colorado </h2>In June, the state passed its own extended-producer responsibility law that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-to-tax-bottles-and-packaging-for-recycling-2022-6">slaps a fee on packaging such as bottles, food wrappers, and cardboard</a> to help fund recycling and keep waste out of landfills. Colorado's statewide <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-recycling-totals">recycling rate for all materials is 15%</a>, less than half the national average of 32%. The law itself doesn't set mandatory recycling targets, but brands and packaging makers have to develop some for 2030 after they form a nonprofit to run the new recycling program.The law got rare public endorsements from big business, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Walmart. They joined forces with environmental groups like Recycle Colorado, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Sierra Club. <h2>Canada</h2><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/single-use-plastic-guidance.html">On June 22, the government announced</a> it would ban companies from making and importing certain single-use plastics by the end of the year as part of a sweeping effort to fight pollution and the climate crisis.Most plastic grocery bags, silverware, and straws fall under the ban, with a few exceptions for medical needs. According to the government, Canadians throw away more than 3 million tons of plastic waste every year and the country only recycles about 9% of it. "Companies don't make Canada-specific packaging or US-state specific packaging," Brandon said. "They are trying to maximize efficiency in a globalized supply chain, so these policies will have far-reaching ripple effects."<h2>India </h2>On July 1, India's government announced a ban on single-use plastics covering 19 items that are most likely to wind up as litter, such as straws, cups, and some disposable bags. The ban makes it illegal to make or import these products.According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/01/1109476072/india-plastics-ban-begins">the Associated Press</a>, thousands of other plastic items aren't covered, though the federal government has set recycling targets for manufacturers. According to its federal pollution watchdog, India generated more than 4.1 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2020. This decade the country is also trying to reduce the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product — known as carbon intensity — by 45%. Curbing plastic manufacturing can help India meet that target, said advocates of the ban.

Fighting our plastic problem: Bans and recycling mandates gain steam in the US and abroad

Plastic alternatives after the single-use ban

<ul><li>The ban on single-use plastics has led to an increase in demand for <keyword id="34566" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wood" source="Orion">wood</keyword> and <keyword id="6357269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bamboo" source="Orion">bamboo</keyword> dealers as manufacturers are now looking to switch to eco-friendly options.</li><li>India recycles around 60% of its plastic waste generated in a year, and the remaining 40% ends up in landfills, on the streets, clogging water bodies, etc.</li><li>99 percent of the plastics were recyclable if we took steps to adequately incentivise the key players in the waste management solution - the rag pickers, said Jigish Doshi.</li></ul>India produces gigantic amounts of plastic waste - over 3.5 million tonnes a year - &amp; over a third of this is not recycled, creating a health and environment nightmare. As a solution to this intractable problem, India decided to ban the use of single-use plastic products such as straws, polythene bags etc. effective July 1. The federal government has warned manufacturers to be careful about the usage of single-use plastic. If found to be using the banned items, the units would be seized and would face heavy penalties. Retailers and street vendors using these banned products would be fined ₹200 for the first time, ₹500 and ₹1,000 for the subsequent two offences. It is important to note that other plastic products — like water bottles, soda bottles, chips packets, etc — aren't covered under the ban. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Wood &amp; bamboo products see demand" comment="subhead" text="Wood &amp; bamboo products see demand">Wood &amp; bamboo products see demand</cmsannotation> The ban on single-use plastics has led to an increase in demand for wood and bamboo dealers as manufacturers are now looking to switch to eco-friendly options, according to a report by Just Dial, which helps users find all kinds of vendors through its large database. Almost 80% of the searches were for wood dealers and the rest for bamboo. Demand also shot up for a wide range of wooden cutlery like spoons, knives, forks, wooden trays, stirrers, ice cream spoons and bamboo sticks. The demand for both eco-friendly options have seen a significant rise in India’s capital New Delhi, which, along with Mumbai, contributed to almost 50% of the searches among Tier-I cities. Kolkata saw the maximum rise in demand at 22% for wood dealers, according to the report. “Sustainability is at the core of businesses now and is bringing changes across the funnel. This has led to a spike in demand for wood and bamboo dealers as manufacturers look for sustainable alternatives for single-use plastics to comply with government regulations,” said Prasun Kumar, CMO at Just Dial. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Recycling of plastics is the need of the hour" comment="subhead" text="Recycling of plastics is the need of the hour">Recycling of plastics is the need of the hour</cmsannotation> India recycles around 60% of its plastic waste generated in a year, and the remaining 40% ends up in landfills, on the streets, clogging water bodies, etc, according to the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2018-19 report. The unmanaged plastic waste also ends up in the bellies of grazing animals, which can ultimately choke to death. According to the report, there are over 4,700 registered and 1,080 unregistered plastic recycling units located across various states and union territories in India. “The plastics industry is already working towards finding alternatives for almost all plastic based products. To achieve the desired objective, we will need to make a significant investment in R&amp;D and innovative technology to develop alternative products which will take some time. The plastics Industry is already working in this direction,” said Jigish Doshi, president at Plastindia Foundation — an internationally recognised organisation which provides excellence in the field of plastic. He added that 99 percent of the plastics were recyclable if we took steps to adequately incentivise the key players in the waste management solution - the rag pickers. “The problem is that the ragpickers don’t have the technology or are not incentivized enough to collect small plastic waste like straws etc. Therefore, the need of the hour is a waste management solution and recycling technology that ensures proper collection and recycling of plastic waste. The rag pickers who play a key role in this process should also be given proper incentives,” Doshi added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/what-are-the-alternatives-of-single-use-plastic/slidelist/92649483.cms">Plastic alternatives after the single-use ban</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/delhi-airport-becomes-indias-first-to-run-on-hydro-solar-power/articleshow/92652559.cms">Delhi airport becomes India's first to run on hydro &amp; solar power</a>

Single-use plastic ban drives up interest in wood, bamboo alternatives

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A ban on single-use plastics has support from three-quarters of people worldwide, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/75-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned-global-survey-finds-2022-02-22/?taid=6214414b39c1a300014bb400&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter">Reuters reported.</a></li><li>Countries will meet in Nairobi later this month to start negotiating a plastics treaty.</li></ul>Three-quarters of the world population want to ban single-use plastics like soda bottles, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/75-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned-global-survey-finds-2022-02-22/?taid=6214414b39c1a300014bb400&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter">according to a poll published by Reuters and IPSOS.</a>The survey marks an uptick from 71% who favored a similar action in 2019. The strongest support for a single-use plastics ban came from respondents in Mexico, Colombia, and India, all nations hard-hit by plastic pollution, according to Reuters.The poll, published early Tuesday London time, also found that 85% of those surveyed say that manufacturers and retailers should "be held responsible" for reducing the impact of <keyword id="12427295" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plastic-waste" source="Orion">plastic waste</keyword>. The survey polled 20,000 people from 28 countries."People worldwide have made their views clear," Marco Lambertini, director general of the World Wildlife Fund International, told Reuters of the survey. "The onus and opportunity is now on governments to adopt a global plastics treaty ... so we can eliminate plastic pollution."Governments will have an opportunity to forge such a treaty later this month. That's when representatives of different nations will meet in Nairobi to make plans for a pact on plastics, Reuters reported. The meeting is scheduled to span from Feb. 28 until March 2.Groups that lobby for oil and chemical companies, such as the American Chemistry Council, are pushing governments to avoid any agreements that would limit plastic production, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/un-pact-may-restrict-plastic-production-big-oil-aims-stop-it-2022-02-18/">an investigation by Reuters earlier this month found.</a> Petroleum products are a key ingredient for producing plastic.Ninety percent of those polled by the Reuters/IPSOS survey said they want a treaty to tackle plastic pollution, though a treaty could take a variety of forms, from focusing mostly on <keyword id="12063226" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="recycling" source="Orion">recycling</keyword> efforts to broader curbs on plastic production.Major manufacturers that rely on single-use plastics have publicized commitments that fall into the first category. <keyword id="12109002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coca-cola" source="Orion">Coca-Cola</keyword>, for example, said earlier this month that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/coca-cola-criticized-plastic-pollution-pledges-25-reusable-packaging-2022-02-10/">make 25% of the packaging it uses worldwide reusable</a> by 2030. Rival <keyword id="12259147" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pepsico" source="Orion">PepsiCo</keyword> said in September that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/pepsico-slash-plastic-use-sustainability-push-2021-09-15/">reduce its use of virgin plastic in its packaging.</a>Plastic packaging from food, beverages, and other consumer goods has become common in the <keyword id="11901561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="environment" source="Orion">environment</keyword>. It has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-pollution-microplastics-pervade-surface-deep-ocean-2019-6">accumulated in large patches in the Pacific Ocean</a> and can harm the health of humans and wildlife.The problem has become even worse during the pandemic, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oceans-polluted-with-approximately-tons-ppe-during-pandemic-2021-11">single-use plastics from hospitals accelerating pollution.</a>

Three-quarters of the world's population wants single-use plastics banned, according to new study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Supermarkets in New Jersey said their shopping baskets have been going missing.</li><li>This started happening after a strict plastic bag ban was implemented this spring.</li></ul>Supermarkets in New Jersey said their shopping baskets have started going missing after a strict shopping bag ban was implemented in the state. <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/money/business/consumer/2022/08/30/nj-plastic-bag-ban-supermarket-shopping-baskets/65414266007/">Northjersey.com</a>, a local media outlet, spoke to the representatives of several grocery store outlets, who said they had noticed more baskets being taken by shoppers."They are just disappearing," said Louis Scaduto Jr., CEO of the Food Circus Super Markets. "I may actually have to just do away with them soon, can't afford to keep replacing them."Meanwhile, a representative for Stop &amp; Shop in Long Branch told the outlet that its shopping baskets were also going missing. The company has also put up a sign in its Middletown store stating that its hand baskets must remain in the store at all times."Like other retailers across the state, we have experienced theft of our handheld shopping baskets — an unintended consequence of the ban on plastic and paper bags," the Stop &amp; Shop representative told Northjersey.com.Speaking to <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/no-more-baskets-nj-supermarkets-say-shoppers-are-taking-all-the-baskets-home/3813492/">NBC New York</a>, New Jersey grocery shopper Christine Young berated people for stealing shopping baskets. "It's foolish, why would you steal the basket, they need them," Young said. "I think it's foolish people are lazy."According to NBC, the stores' baskets could cost as much as $8 each. The New Jersey shopping bag ban, one of the strictest in the US, <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2022/05/04/nj-plastic-bag-ban-date/9568824002/">was implemented on May 4</a>, and bars the use of single-use bags, including paper bags, at large grocery stores.This is not the first time shopping baskets have been stolen following a plastic bag ban. In August, <a href="https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2022/08/10/shoppers-react-to-delaware-bag-ban-by-stealing-supermarkets-baskets/65397030007/">Delaware's plastic bag ban</a> also resulted in shopping baskets being stolen, with one Acme store reporting that it had been cleaned out of all its baskets.

New Jersey supermarkets are having their shopping baskets stolen after a strict plastic bag ban was imposed in the state

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A plastic surgeon who streamed procedures on TikTok had her medical license permanently revoked.</li><li>The Ohio Medical Board said Katharine Grawe sometimes answered viewers' questions while operating.</li></ul>A plastic surgeon who livestreamed procedures on TikTok had her medical license permanently revoked on Wednesday.The Ohio Medical Board voted to ban Katharine Grawe, who is also known as Dr. Roxy of "Roxy Plastic Surgery" to her patients and TikTok followers, from ever practicing in the state again, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-tiktok-doctor-surgeries-license-revoked-4f1ab7a71b2b3d396d102156f2c9e219">according to the Associated Press.</a><a href="https://med.ohio.gov/static/formala/35094502.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A docket of letters made public by the medical board </a>detailed how Grawe produced and livestreamed medical procedures on patients mid-surgery.Grawe initially had her license temporarily suspended in November."During some videos/live-streams, you engage in dialogue to respond to viewers' while the surgical procedure remains actively ongoing," the board said in a November 18 notice of Grawe's suspension.In one March 2022 incident, which led to Grawe's suspension, the board said that she livestreamed while performing a skin-tightening procedure, a Brazilian butt lift, and liposuction on a patient.The board stated that liposuction procedures require a doctor to be aware of the tip of the cannula to avoid injuring the patient, adding that Grawe's focus on livestreaming made it appear that she was not."Your attention to the camera meant at those moments you were not looking at the patient or palpating the location of the tip of the cannula," the board said in the letter.Grawe also failed to provide the patient with written discharge instructions, with the patient later suffering from severe complications.That patient was treated for a perforated intestine and necrotizing soft tissue infection, which required surgeries and skin grafting, the board said. They also had hepatic encephalopathy — a decline in brain function when toxins that are normally cleared from the body accumulate in the blood.The files also list two other patients who suffered from complications after surgeries with Grawe.<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/katharine-grawe-cosmetic-surgeon-ohio-tiktok-license-revoked/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a> reported that a former patient who went to Grawe for breast reconstructive surgery, Mary Jenkins, spoke at the board meeting on Wednesday. "It's finally over," she told CBS Austin. "That chapter in my life is finally over, but I will never forget it."While the Ohio Medical Board decision only affects Grawe's ability to practice in the state, the disciplinary actions are public and the National Practitioner Data Bank will be notified, according to CBS News.Grawe and her surgery practice did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

A plastic surgeon was stripped of her medical license after livestreaming procedures on TikTok

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Burning Man began on Sunday — and some of the attendees were met with protests.</li><li>Climate and anti-capitalist activists created blockades to hold up traffic at the festival</li></ul>Climate activists are coming to rain on tech bros' favorite parade.Burning Man — the event favored by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-sergey-brin-post-google-investments-businesses-wealth-2022-12">billionaire party boys</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-wealthy-people-spotted-at-burning-man-2019-9">Victoria's Secret models</a>, alike — is officially underway in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, and attendees were met by more than the usual festivalgoers in space-age unitards, glow-in-the-dark headpieces, or no clothes at all when they arrived at the gate on Sunday.Instead, they found climate activists forming a human blockade and chaining themselves to a trailer in front of the festival, urging the festival's organizers to ban <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-one-percent-ultra-wealthy-private-jet-personal-chef-2019-8#however-the-events-organizers-say-luxury-takes-away-from-the-burning-man-experience-8">private jets</a> and single-use plastics, according to videos posted to X. "Burners of the world, unite," "Abolish capitalism," and "General strike for the climate," their signs read.Eventually, the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal police broke up the blockade, plowing through the obstruction, and arresting four of the protesters, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/28/burning-man-protest-climate-change-environment?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1">The Guardian reported</a>. Seven Circles, a coalition of anti-capitalist and climate activist organizations, claimed responsibility for organizing the protest in a <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GDuXFndEUdEqCr42bBvS6-lqfzazjg0XIuPkbgO3pME/edit">news release</a>. The group includes Burners, the nickname given to attendees.In its release, Seven Circles demanded that the festival "be radically honest," "mobilize our community," and "lead by example" by banning private jets, unnecessary propane burning, and unlimited generator use.The group also criticized the organization for allowing the eight-day event for becoming a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/company-pays-for-employees-to-attend-burning-man-2019-9">playground for the Silicon Valley elite</a> and influencers, who fly in on private jets and stay in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-bans-influencer-camp-with-100000-campers-2019-8">lavish encampments.</a>"The blockade is also in protest against the popularization of Burning Man among affluent people who do not live the stated values of Burning Man, resulting in the commodification of the event," Seven Circles said. "No single individual should have the luxury of emitting 10 to 20 times more carbon pollution than a commercial airline passenger. Burners, rebel with us," Mun Chung, one of the activists, said in a statement.Burning Man Project, the group behind the festival, promotes leaving no trace on the environment, gifting and collaborating instead of buying, and decommodification in its <a target="_blank" href="https://burningman.org/about/10-principles/">10 principles</a>.But over the past 37 years, it has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-burning-man-theme-tickets-dates-outfits-2018-8?_gl=1*12vcvwc*_ga*NDk0OTkwMDg3LjE2NTQ3MDM2MDA.*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY5MjcyNzMzNS43MTcuMS4xNjkyNzI3NzcwLjYwLjAuMA..#who-goes-to-burning-man-6">attracted attendees</a> like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-holmes-burning-man-torch-effigy-for-theranos-fraud-2023-5?_gl=1*1sgjcr2*_ga*NDk0OTkwMDg3LjE2NTQ3MDM2MDA.*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY5MjcxNzUyOC43MTUuMS4xNjkyNzE3NjgzLjMwLjAuMA..">disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes</a>, who burned a Theranos effigy at the festival in 2018.<a target="_blank" href="https://tickets.burningman.org/">Tickets go for up to $2,750</a> — a similar price as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.coachella.com/passes">VIP Coachella tickets</a>. Groups of ultrarich splurge to make the experience luxurious, paying <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-one-percent-ultra-wealthy-private-jet-personal-chef-2019-8#however-the-events-organizers-say-luxury-takes-away-from-the-burning-man-experience-8">$250,000 for a team of private chefs</a> and staying in "fancy camps" — oftentimes air-conditioned RVs or tents that run on generators and fossil fuels — situated away from the rest of the Burners.With these wealthy attendees comes waste. Burning Man's carbon footprint reached about 100,000 tons of CO2 per year as of 2019, according to its <a target="_blank" href="https://burningman.medium.com/burning-man-project-2030-environmental-sustainability-roadmap-c79657e18146#bfd2">sustainability roadmap</a>, which also lays out plans to be carbon negative by 2030.The Burning Man Project did not immediately respond back to a request for comment from Insider.

Ultrarich Burning Man attendees are getting slammed by climate activists for private jets and their outlandish use of plastic

Portland, Apr 8 (AP) Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee as the movement to eliminate single-use plastics took hold in mainstream America.In a matter of days, hard-won bans to reduce the use of plastics - and particularly plastic shopping sacks - across the U.S. have come under fire amid worries about the virus clinging to reusable bags, cups and straws.Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags. Oregon suspended its brand-new ban on plastic bags this week, and cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, have announced a hiatus on plastic bag bans as the coronavirus rages.Add to that a rise in takeout and a ban on reusable cups and straws at the few coffee stores that remain open, and environmentalists worry COVID-19 could set back their efforts to tackle plastic pollution for years."People are scared for their lives, their livelihood, the economy, feeding their loved ones, so the environment is taking a back seat," said Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner &amp; Bar in Seattle.Quadros has laid off 15 employees and seen a 60% decline in business since Seattle all but shut down to slow the pandemic. For now, he's using biodegradable containers for takeout and delivery, but those products cost up to three times more than plastic - and they're getting hard to find because of the surge in takeout, he said."The problem is, we don't know what's in store," Quadros said. "Everyone is in the same situation." The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying hard to overturn bans on single-use plastics by arguing disposable plastics are the safest option amid the crisis. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have statewide bans on plastic bags, and Oregon and California have laws limiting the use of plastic straws.New York's statewide plastic bag ban is on hold because of a lawsuit.The Plastics Industry Association recently sent a letter to Alex Azar, head of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and asked him to speak out against plastic bag bans because they put consumers and workers at risk. And the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance is doubling down on its opposition to plastic bag bans under a preexisting campaign titled Bag the Ban.Grocery worker unions, too, have joined the chorus. The union that represents Oregon supermarket workers is lobbying for a ban on reusable bags, and a Chicago union called for an "end to the disease-transmitting bag tax." Critics argue people with reusable bags don't regularly wash them."If those bags coming into the store are contaminated with anything, they get put on the conveyor belt, the counter, and you're putting yourself in a bad spot," said Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance. "It's an unnecessary risk." A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found the novel coronavirus can remain on plastics and stainless steel for up to three days, and on cardboard for up to one day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it appears possible for a person to get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes - but it's not thought that's the main way the virus spreads.More studies are needed to fully assess the dangers posed by reusable bags, which are mostly made of fabric, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the Portland metropolitan area."It's not clear that a virus that you can find on a surface - whether it's cloth or something else - is viable and can actually make you sick," she said.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.Some stores such as Trader Joe's and Target are letting customers use their own bags if they sack their groceries themselves, while others are banning them. (AP) AMSAMS

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