America’s 'recycled' plastic waste is clogging landfills, survey finds
Many facilities lack the ability to process ‘mixed plastics’, a category of waste that has virtually no market as new products
10 January 2020
Welcome to Hawaii's 'plastic beach', one of the world's dirtiest places
Hawaii has long evoked images of a Pacific paradise but Kamilo Beach, located on the Big Island, presents a starkly different reality
5 January 2020
The California city that wants to eliminate disposable coffee cups
Berkeley’s new law targeting throwaway food packaging requires customers to go reusable or pay a fee
31 December 2019
The missing 99%: why can't we find the vast majority of ocean plastic?
What scientists can see and measure, in the garbage patches and on beaches, accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total plastic entering the water
27 November 2019
Recycling isn’t working – here are 15 ways to shrink your plastic footprint
Only 9% of plastics get recycled, and significant reductions will require systemic change – but there are easy tips for individuals to cut back
15 November 2019
Big plastic polluters accused of cynically backing US recycling day
America Recycles Day promoted by EPA is brainchild of not-for-profit backed by companies that produce plastic products
4 October 2019
'Everywhere we looked': trillions of microplastics found in San Francisco bay
Most comprehensive study to date finds plastic in sediment collected from bay and tributaries and digestive tracts of fish
13 September 2019
Most ambitious US law to tackle single-use plastics faces make-or-break moment
Proposed legislation in California would commit to 75% reduction in plastic waste by 2030, and phase out most single-use packaging
13 August 2019
It's raining plastic: microscopic fibers fall from the sky in Rocky Mountains
Discovery raises new questions about the amount of plastic waste permeating the air, water, and soil virtually everywhere on Earth
31 July 2019
Paddling in plastic: meet the man swimming the Pacific garbage patch
Ben Lecomte is making a trans-Pacific journey to better understand how plastics pollution is affecting our oceans
3 July 2019
US produces far more waste and recycles far less of it than other developed countries
US represents 4% of the world’s population but produces 12% of municipal solid waste, a stark contrast with China and India
25 June 2019
The Earth’s climate is paying for our addiction to plastic
Carroll Muffett
Every stage of the plastic lifecycle releases harmful carbon emissions into the atmosphere, contributing to global heating
24 June 2019
Humans have made 8.3bn tons of plastic since 1950. This is the illustrated story of where it's gone
Upset about the plastic crisis? Stop trying so hard
Roland Geyer
21 June 2019
Americans' plastic recycling is dumped in landfills, investigation shows
Never gonna give you up: how plastic seduced America
20 June 2019
Plastic wrapped in plastic: the wasteful reality of America's grocery stores
On a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and other leading markets, plastic feels more plentiful than the food itself
17 June 2019
Where does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America's dirty secret
A Guardian report from 11 countries tracks how US waste makes its way across the world – and overwhelms the poorest nations
How you're recycling plastic wrong, from coffee cups to toothpaste
If you don’t clean your recycling, it can harm more than it helps. And that icon with the arrows is virtually meaningless
Why the Guardian is taking on America's plastic waste crisis
United States of Plastic, a new series that will run for the rest of 2019, will reveal global inequality and the environmental consequences of our dependence on a miracle material
