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Wednesday 29 March 2023 Dublin: 11°C

# plastic

Last month
March 2023
# driving for change
Physical driving licence could become 'history' as EU proposes digital option
This digital licence is expected to allow drivers to replace, renew or exchange a licence easier.
This year
2023
# plastic waste
England to ban single-use plastic cutlery and plates two years after EU
Ireland, along with other EU members, introduced a similar move in 2021.
Last year
2022
# Recyling
Deposit-return scheme on bottles and cans to start rolling out in shops
A 15c deposit will apply to cans and bottles up to 500ml and a 25c deposit on those over 500ml.
# Environment
Global plastic waste will triple by 2060 according to OECD projections
In developing countries the use of plastic could increase five-fold.
# Environment
Targets for recycling plastic packaging will be 'extremely challenging' - so how do we do it?
50% of plastic packaging waste needs to be recycled by 2025. The latest figures show only 22.5% is.
# Sri Lanka
Elephants dying from eating plastic waste in Sri Lankan dump, conservationists warn
Around 20 elephants have died over the last eight years after consuming plastic trash in the dump.
All time
Voices
Opinion: If we don't act now on plastic pollution, we will run out of choices
Lyndsey O’Connell of the Sick of Plastic campaign outlines just how destructive this material is and offers simple ways to avoid using it.
# Rubbish
Soft plastic: How much of it will actually be recycled and what difference will it make?
Soft plastics can now be put in household recycling bins.
# Waste
Levy on disposable coffee cups to be introduced in coming months
The fee could be introduced later this year or early next year.
# Your Say
Poll: Do you make efforts to reduce how much plastics you buy?
An EU directive restricting certain single-use plastic products being placed on the Irish market is now in effect.
# Poll
Poll: Will you try to limit your waste this Christmas?
Limiting waste isn’t always at the top of the priority list at Christmas.
Voices
Opinion: Why the planet needs us to cut our consumption this Christmas
Environmental campaigner Lyndsey O’Connell explains how our online festive shopping habits are leading to an excess of cardboard and plastic waste.
# Your Say
Poll: Have you made efforts to use less plastic in your daily life?
Plastic levels in the Atlantic Ocean are likely to be much higher than previous estimates suggested.
# Pollution
Plastic in the Atlantic Ocean is far beyond levels previously estimated
Researchers believe plastic levels in the Atlantic are ten times higher than previous estimates suggest.
# recycling
McDonald's to trial recycling unwanted plastic toys into new products such as coffee cups
The initial trial will run for four weeks in seven restaurants in the UK and Ireland.
# Monaghan
Ireland's first reverse vending machine allows people to recycle plastic bottles in return for 10c vouchers
The machine is located in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.
# no waste
Is it really possible to live a zero waste life? I tried for a week (and did a terrible job)
It is definitely possible to significantly reduce your day-to-day waste … but it’s harder than it sounds.
# marium
Beloved Thai dugong found dead with plastic in her stomach
Marium’s story went viral after she washed ashore in Thailand earlier this year.
# microplastics
Microplastics found in Arctic and Alps after being carried by wind and snow, scientists warn
The researchers have called for urgent research to assess the health risks of inhalation.
# Your Say
Poll: Should Ireland ban all single-use plastics?
Awareness of how much plastic we use and throw away in Ireland has been growing in recent years.
# ireland 2029
'We need to leave the throwaway culture behind': Could Ireland really go plastic free by 2029?
We bash out the pros and cons on episode six of Ireland 2029.
# Oceans
Irish teenager wins global science award for removing microplastics from water
Fionn Ferreira from Cork received a €45,000 bursary.
# tough talking
'We cannot be radical enough': David Attenborough calls for drastic climate change action
Naturalist David Attenborough appeared today before British MPs to discuss climate change.
# flying the green flag
Ireland surpasses all EU recycling targets including plastics, glass and metal
Ireland currently recycles 33% of all plastics, which needs to rise to 50% in 2025 and 55% by 2030 to meet EU targets.
# Your Say
Poll: Should Ireland ban all single-use plastics by 2021?
The Canadian Prime Minister has promised to ban single-use plastics “where supported by scientific evidence and warranted.”
# recycling
Canada is planning to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement today.
# United Nations
Landmark pact to regulate plastic waste signed by 180 nations - but not the US
The framework “is historic in the sense that it is legally binding, said Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Programme.
# recycling
Lidl says it's introducing in-store recycling stations across the country
The supermarket chain said that recycling stations will rolled out next month.
# Environment
Government and schools will no longer buy single-use plastic cups, cutlery and straws
The Green Party has said the ban only addresses “the lowest of the low-hanging fruit”.
# plastic problem
Wet wipes and sanitary products cause over 500 sewage blockages every month
The problem costs €7 million per year to address.
# Trash Talk
'Single-use': Term used to refer to throw away plastic named Collins word of the year 2018
‘Single-use’describes items whose unchecked proliferation are blamed for damaging the environment.
# dublin coast
Review begins as 70kg of plastic debris recovered in Dún Laoghaire baths clear-up
One local said that little plastic pins were “all over the Forty Foot, all the way up to the swimming baths”.
# Your Say
Poll: Do you use plastic bottles?
Several Dublin councils plan to install public water fountains in order to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
# plastic
New EU rules aim to cut down on amount of bottled water people drink
On average, every person in the EU consumes up to 106 litres of bottled water every year.
# Your Say
Poll: Do you make efforts to reduce how much single-use plastics you buy?
Lidl has confirmed that by next year it will have discontinued the sale of single-use plastics in its Irish stores.
# Environment
Lidl Ireland won't be selling single-use plastics after next year
But they aren’t going as far as their stores in the UK just yet.
# OFF TARGET
To reach EU targets Ireland needs to increase its plastic recycling by 80%
According to Repak, Ireland’s plastic recycling must increase to 175,000 tonnes by 2030 to reach new EU targets.
# food waste
Researchers say plastic is 'indispensable' so they're trying to make it more sustainable
Some 500,000 tonnes of plastic waste from the EU end up in the sea every year.
# sustainability
Steel cups and banning plastic cutlery: How music festivals are trying to combat waste
Litter is a big problem at many festivals.
# Your Say
Poll: Should plastic bottles be banned from Irish beaches?
40% of Irish rivers, beaches and harbours were littered or heavily littered, according to a new survey.