Plastic
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Australia steps in to stop countries watering down plastics pact
The Environment Minister has flown to Paris for critical talks on the proposed global treaty, saying she is concerned other countries are trying to make the targets voluntary instead of legally binding.
- by Anthony Galloway
Latest
Coles to stop selling reusable plastic bags Australia-wide
Supermarket giant Coles will phase out reusable plastic bags by July, following a similar move by Woolworths in April.
- by Ashleigh McMillan
The Aussie tackling an ocean-spanning seaweed ‘monster’
A gigantic belt of seaweed that can be seen from space has bloomed in the Atlantic since 2011. An Australian woman wants to turn it into plastic.
- by Angus Dalton
Consumer watchdog urged to step in on so-called ocean plastic
Some brands boast their products are made from recycled plastics dredged from the ocean. But there’s little to stop them using that label for plastics picked up on land.
- by Tracey Ferrier
We consume a credit card worth of plastic each week. What is it doing to our health?
Microplastics are everywhere and we consume them all the time. We still don’t know how bad that is for us.
- by Sarah Berry
The mission to clean up Bali’s beaches and end ‘trash season’
The coastline of the Indonesian island is one of its greatest tourist attractions but every year a mass of plastic debris and other rubbish washes up on its beaches.
- by Amilia Rosa and Chris Barrett
REDcycle declared insolvent after handing plastic stockpile to supermarket giants
The company behind Coles and Woolworths’ soft plastics recycling program has been wound up, days after signing an agreement to hand its 124,000-tonne stockpile over.
- by Chris Vedelago
Updated
US politics
One hundred per cent ‘preventable’: Report raises questions about train safety at Ohio toxic crash site
The preliminary report comes as residents in East Palestine report a range of health concerns, such as respiratory problems, rashes, and unusual odours.
- by Farrah Tomazin
‘We didn’t ask for this’: Residents report ill health after Ohio toxic disaster
Two weeks after a train carrying hazardous material came off the tracks, locals are still feeling the effects. The town is also having to deal with a celebrity influx.
- by Farrah Tomazin
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Waste
Government will intervene if voluntary codes don’t fix recycling debacle: Plibersek
With the nation failing to reach recycling targets, the government says it is prepared to step in with regulations should voluntary codes fail.
- by Nick O'Malley
Angry Ohio townspeople seek answers on train’s toxic spill
“We need our citizens to feel safe in their own homes,” the major of East Palestine told his residents a week after chemical-laden train cars derailed and were detonated.
- by Brad Brooks