“Hunting the invisible particles”
In its "Close-up" series, Deutsche Welle portrayed in a thirty-minute film the work of the "pioneer of microplastics research", Professor Dr. Christian Laforsch, and the team from the Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Bayreuth. As the film shows, some of the basic research on microplastics there involves the use of measuring equipment that was specially developed and built at the university. In the interdisciplinary team, scientists are also working together with the plastics industry on alternatives to conventional plastics that would not end up as microplastics in the environment.
Material flow analysis 2021: the current status of plastics recycling
Every two years since 1994, the BKV, in collaboration with what are now fifteen associations and institutions in the plastics and recycling industry and the IGBCE trade union, has published a comprehensive collection of data and facts on the production, processing and recycling of plastics in Germany. The study is now entitled "Material flow analysis of plastics in Germany" and also provides information on the production and use of recycled materials. As a result, the figures, which are highly regarded and cited in business and politics, are also seen as an indicator of the status of plastics recycling in Germany.
Read more … Material flow analysis 2021: the current status of plastics recycling
Plastic waste in the sea stems mainly from fishing
A large proportion of the litter that has accumulated in the subtropical vortex of the North Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii in the so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" (GPGP) originates, according to a recent study, directly at sea and is caused by very few countries. According to the study, which has been published in “Scientific Reports” by a research group from the Dutch non-profit organisation “The Ocean Cleanup”, the garbage vortex contains mostly fishing nets, ropes and other waste from industrial fishing.
Read more … Plastic waste in the sea stems mainly from fishing
Microplastics not harmful to fish
According to the scientific findings of a group of researchers led by fisheries ecologist Jörn Scharsack from the Thünen Institute in Bremerhaven, the quantities of microplastics ingested by fish in the North Sea and Baltic Sea do not lead to adverse effects on fish health. According to the scientists, eating fish from the two seas also does not pose a health risk to humans in this respect
“Superworms“ can digest plastic
The larvae of a beetle species native to Central and South America can apparently survive with the plastic polystyrene as their only food source and even gain weight by ingesting it. This was the finding of a new study by the Australian University of Queensland, published in the journal Microbial Genomics. The researchers were able to demonstrate that the larvae of the species Zophobas morio (large black beetle), known as "superworms," are able to digest polystyrene (PS) thanks to the microbes in their intestines.
Interview: „A somewhat bold interpretation“
Since 2012, Ms. Bergmann has been working intensively on the pollution of the oceans with plastics, has published extensively on this topic, among others, the book "Marine Anthropogenic Litter". Furthermore, she is a member of several expert groups - including the German delegation for negotiating the UN Plastics Treaty - and coordinates the international MICRO symposia on microplastics. At AWI, she is involved in the development of new methods for measuring plastic litter and microplastics in the seas, and also works on studies about the effects of plastic residues on organisms. Against this professional background, we asked Ms. Bergmann for her assessment of the results of the study by the Thünen Institute for Fisheries Ecology (see the report "Microplastics not harmful to fish").
Indonesia: Schwarz Group hands over marine litter project to local stakeholders
The river cleaning project "Bekasi River Cleanup" (BRIC) was launched in Indonesia in 2019 by the Schwarz Group together with the environmental organisation One Earth - One Ocean, plus a local waste disposal company, and with the support of the authorities in Bekasi. BRIC, was set up as a "REmove" project as part of the Group-wide sustainability strategy, and has now, according to the Schwarz Group, been developed to the point where it can be handed over to local stakeholders.
Read more … Indonesia: Schwarz Group hands over marine litter project to local stakeholders
EU Commission: Draft to restrict intentionally added microplastics
On behalf of the European Parliament, the EU Commission is preparing a ban on intentionally added microplastics as part of the EU Plastics Strategy and the EU Action Plan "Pollutant-free air, water and soil". Such polymers are added to cosmetic and cleaning products, for example in the form of small beads with an abrasive effect, and are also found among other things in paints, varnishes or artificial turf fillings.
Read more … EU Commission: Draft to restrict intentionally added microplastics
International coalition pushes for a global agreement against plastic litter
At the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi in March, it was agreed to start negotiations
on an international legally binding instrument against plastic pollution of the environment. To drive
implementation of the UNEA resolution, a group of countries including Germany initiated the international
“High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution” (HAC) at the end of August.
Read more … International coalition pushes for a global agreement against plastic litter
Floating litter trap fishes waste from the River Rhine
Since September 2022, the litter trap of the Cologne-based non-profit association K.R.A.K.E has been floating on the River Rhine at kilometre 690.3 near the Zoobrücke bridge, where it fishes waste out of the Rhine. One of the sponsors of the so-called "Rheinkrake" is plastics specialist, Igus.
Read more … Floating litter trap fishes waste from the River Rhine