Plastics

San Francisco airport bans sale of plastic bottles

A new rule at San Francisco International Airport will be banning the sale of single-use plastic bottles as part of a five-year plan to lower landfill waste, net carbon emissions and net energy use to zero.

Panama becomes first Central American nation to ban plastic bags

The isthmus nation of roughly 4 million people joined more than 60 other countries that have totally or partially banned single-use plastic bags, or introduced taxes to dissuade their use, including Chile and Colombia in the region.

Witnessing the effects of global warming in person

On a recent expedition to Greenland, TRT World correspondent Andrea Sanke saw how some countries and landscapes are suffering as global temperatures rise, and makes a very personal plea.

Canada 'will ban' single-use plastics in 2021

"I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021 Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast," says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

World marks Oceans Day amid concerns over plastic pollution

"Today, 13,000,000 tonnes of plastic leak into the oceans every year, what among other damage, kill 100,000 marine animals annually," the UN says.

A story of contamination and corruption in Argentina

TRT World visited one of Argentina’s most contaminated cities, Palpala, where 70 years of poor or a non-existent environmental policy and rampant corruption have had a deadly impact on the local population.

Plastic a thorn in South Korea's side as waste problem piles up

Ever since China banned imports of almost all recycled waste, piles of trash have begun appearing around big cities in South Korea.

Individual action won’t stop climate change

Behavioural change is essential to mitigate the effects of climate change, but sustainable change will only come when governments and corporations change their behaviour.

Reporters Diary: Bangladesh, my childhood home, has come a long way

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once dismissed Bangladesh as a "basket case." After a second look now, he may want to take his words back.

Plastic bag ban sparks attacks on supermarket staff in Australia

Supermarket workers bear the brunt of an angry consumer backlash over moves to ban single-use plastic bags in Australia. More than eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world's oceans each year.

Politicised justice in Latin America has weakened faith in the judiciary

Across Latin America justice is increasingly wielded to settle political scores. With increasing political polarisation the rule of law is suffering which does not bode well for the long term wellbeing of Latin American nations.

Plastic-eating enzyme holds promise in fighting pollution – scientists

Enzyme can digest PET, a substance in plastic bottles that causes pollution in huge areas of land and sea all over the world. A plastic bottle takes hundreds of years to decompose.