Category: single-use plastics

Experts Advocate Eventual End to Single-Use Plastics, but Composites May Be Safe

A Senate hearing on March 30 underscored the widespread concern about single-use plastics, as experts and lawmakers discussed plastics pollution, plastic recycling, and the potential hazards of outsourcing plastics production to China. Hota GangaRao, a composites specialist and professor at West Virginia University, and Chelsea Rochman, an ecologist and professor at the University of Toronto,…


No ‘Accurate and Comprehensive’ Way to Assess Effectiveness of Single-Use Plastics Ban: Federal Report

There is currently no “accurate and comprehensive” way to gauge the impact of the federal ban on everyday plastic products on the environment, says a report by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. “Given data gaps in the current understanding of plastic waste, it is challenging to draw conclusions about the relative impact of…


LA County Bans Single-Use Plastics in Food Service

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave final approval on April 19 to an ordinance requiring that all food-service containers, cups, dishes, and cutlery be distributed by restaurants and food facilities in unincorporated areas of the county be recyclable or compostable. The ordinance, which will be phased in starting in May 2023, will…


Restaurant Owners Unhappy With Potential Single-Use Plastics Ban in LA County

Restaurant owners are dissatisfied with a potential ban on single-use plastics in Los Angeles County’s unincorporated areas. On April 5, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 in favor of an ordinance requiring all food-service businesses in unincorporated areas to switch to recyclable or compostable containers, cups, and dishes. Additionally, full-service restaurants are also required…


LA County Moves to Ban Single-Use Plastics in Food Service

LOS ANGELES—Hoping to cut down on the use of single-use plastics, the Board of Supervisors on April 5 gave preliminary approval to an ordinance requiring that all food-service containers, cups, dishes, and cutlery distributed by restaurants and food facilities in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County be recyclable or compostable. The ordinance would also prohibit…


COVID-19 Has Caused a Plastic Pandemic Says Australian Environmental Body

Plastic pollution was already ubiquitous before the CCP virus pandemic arrived, but the past two years have seen a steep rise in the mountain of plastic waste, as the use of disposable masks, gloves, and food packaging soars. New research estimates that in every minute, three million face masks are put into the environment, or…