The building blocks of almost all plastic items on the planet are little lentil-sized petrochemical-derived pellets, called nurdles, that are melted together and shaped to create larger plastic products. These nurdles are the raw material for making water bottles, automobile parts, food containers and countless other products we use in daily life. These pellets pose […]
Tag: microbeads
Emaciated Sperm Whale Washes Ashore With 330 Pounds of Fishing Gear in Stomach
An emaciated sperm whale washed up on a beach in Canada with a whopping 330 pounds of fishing gear in his stomach. The whale was alive when he washed up on Cape Breton Island on November 9 and teams rushed to try to save the whale. Teams from the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS), the […]
Squirrels in London are Using Plastic Waste to Build Nests
London squirrelsare now using plastic to build their nests, according to South West News Service (SWNS) reports. Henry Jacobs caught images of squirrels riffing through plastic scraps as part of building their nests. Jacobs said in an interview, “When I first saw it, I didn’t know what I was looking at I knew it was […]
Another Beautiful Whale Found Dead with 220 Pounds of Trash in Stomach
More animals are being harmed because of our plastic habits. In a northern Scottish Island, a sperm whale washed up onto the beach with 220 pounds of plastic in its stomach. The whale beached itself and died December 5, where it was later found by researchers. When a necropsy was performed on the whale, researchers […]
Plastics found in dolphins, seals, and whales in UK waters
Researchers who examined 50 marine mammals that had washed up on Britain’s shores say they found microplastics in the guts of every single animal. In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports last month, a research team from the UK’s University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory detailed their findings after studying the digestive […]
The UK is Illegally Endangering Porpoises, Court Rules
A European court has ruled that the UK has not been properly protecting its declining population of harbor porpoises, breaking its international commitments. The European Court of Justice, Europe’s top court on issues surrounding regulatory law, has said that the UK is breaking the law due to its failure to designate enough areas to keep […]
POLL: Should microplastics be banned in cosmetics?
Cosmetics companies must be banned from using plastic microbeads in scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products because of the marine pollution they are causing, say a group of MPs. Members of the environmental audit committee have called for a ban within 18 months after hearing that trillions of tiny pieces of plastic are accumulating in the […]
POLL: Should microbead hygiene products be banned?
US lawmakers are to decide whether to ban personal care products containing microbeads – minuscule pieces of plastic considered harmful to the environment – after proposed legislation was approved by a bipartisan committee. Microbeads, typically under 5mm in size, are used as abrasive exfoliants in products such as toothpastes and facial cleaners. They often evade […]