by Lucie GODEAU Agence France-Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Every year, pounding rains wash away mountains of plastic waste from the streets of Jakarta, with some of it ending up as far away as Bali’s beaches. So scientists are turning to satellites to trace the rubbish and figure out how to tackle the problem. Indonesia allows more waste to enter the ocean than any other country apart from China. The archipelago of nearly 270 million […]
Tag: plastic waste
Uruguayan project uses virtual money to encourage plastic recycling
by Pablo IZMIRLIAN Agence France-Presse PIRIÁPOLIS, Uruguay (AFP) — On a hot summer’s day in southern Uruguay, Graciela Martinez weighs her plastic waste before dropping it in a designated container by the beach. In return, she’ll receive some virtual money on her phone that she can use for discounts on purchases at restaurants or partnered shops. It’s part of a pilot environmental project called “Plasticoin” aimed at encouraging plastic recycling in the South American country. […]
China targets takeout containers in bid to reduce plastic waste
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China will ban non-degradable plastic bags in major cities and single-use straws from restaurants by the end of this year in a bid to cut down on waste. The country is one of the world’s biggest users of plastic, and the plan targets a 30 percent reduction in non-degradable, disposable tableware for takeout in major cities within five years. In a document released Sunday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) […]
Ocean plastic waste probably comes from ships, report says
by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse Most of the plastic bottles washing up on the rocky shores of Inaccessible Island, aptly named for its sheer cliffs rising from the middle of the South Atlantic, probably come from Chinese merchant ships, a study published Monday said. The study offers fresh evidence that the vast garbage patches floating in the middle of oceans, which have sparked much consumer hand-wringing in recent years, are less the product of […]
Dead whale sculpture raises awareness on plastic waste in the Philippines
(Reuters) — An environment group has launched a 50-foot (15.2-metre) sculpture of a dead whale made out of plastic waste in a campaign to raise awareness about the effects of dumping rubbish in the sea and on the beach. Greenpeace Philippines mounted the sculpture on Thursday (May 11) on the shores of Naic town in Cavite Province, south of Manila, using over 60 kg of plastic bottles, cups, bags and other disposable waste found […]
Indonesian man turns plastic waste into fuel
BEKASI, West Java Province, Indonesia (Reuters) — Some residents of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, frustrated by the mounting trash problem across the sprawling metropolis, have started taking matters into their own hands. Hamidi, a young “green entrepreneur” became so concerned by the overflowing Jakarta city dump that he began turning discarded plastic into fuel. “At the very beginning I just wanted to start a business,” said Hamidi, who started his waste-to-energy initiative a year ago in […]





