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Fishing lines tangled to and breaking corals in Cape Verde

Coral reefs are contaminated with plastic from fishing

12 July 2023

Plastic was found at nearly all of the 84 coral reefs studied across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans

Threatened seabirds are foraging at plastic pollution hotspots

4 July 2023

Location trackers show migratory seabirds spend much of their time looking for food near ocean garbage patches, highlighting the need for action on pollution

Solar-powered fuel cell recycles plastic waste and carbon dioxide

19 June 2023

By combining a solar fuel cell that converts carbon dioxide into fuel with a plastic recycling system, researchers can create sustainable fuels and useful chemicals

Common compostable plastic fails to break down after a year at sea

24 May 2023

A leading "bioplastic" used in single-use cups and containers degrades in the ocean just as slowly as the oil-based stuff, and must be broken down in commercial facilities to be composted

Plastic wrap made from seaweed withstands heat and is compostable

1 April 2023

A thin material made from seaweed can handle high temperatures but only takes a few weeks to break down in a composting bin

Ingesting microplastics may increase fat absorption by 145 per cent

31 March 2023

Using a model of a human small intestine, researchers found that microplastics in high-fat foods significantly increase the absorption of fat

Scientists convert Super Glue monomers into recyclable plastics

Recyclable plastic made from super glue could replace polystyrene

22 March 2023

Long-lasting plastics made from fossil fuels could be replaced by a material derived from super glue that can be easily recycled time and time again

Trapping powder quickly removes all microplastics from water

2 December 2022

A cheap powder can help treat wastewater by rapidly absorbing microscopic bits of plastic pollution – and because it is also magnetic, both can then be removed with magnets