Commentary / World Aug 6, 2019
Get off the bandwagon of banning plastic bags
by Stephen L. Carter
When used just once plastic bags can cause problems, but many people repurpose them.
Asia Pacific / Science & Health Jul 30, 2019
Island paradise to garbage patch: Plastic junk piles up on uninhabited Pacific isle
Floating plastic garbage has swamped a remote Pacific island once regarded as an environmental jewel and scientists say little can be done to save it while a throwaway culture persists. Henderson Island is an uninhabited coral atoll that lies almost exactly halfway between New Zealand ...
Commentary / World Jul 30, 2019
A call for healthy, blue oceans in Asia and the Pacific
by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Without action, the world's oceans will contain nearly 250 million tons of plastic by 2025.
National Jul 10, 2019
Nine deer in Nara died after swallowing plastic bags, preservation foundation says
Numerous plastic bags were found in the stomachs of more than half of the 14 wild deer that have died in Nara Park in Nara Prefecture since March, prompting the local government to take action to protect them. According to the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, ...
Business / Corporate Jul 9, 2019
Asahi and Panasonic develop new beer mug in bid to reduce plastic waste
Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Tuesday it has developed a beer mug made from plant-derived materials jointly with Panasonic Corp. in a bid to reduce waste from plastic mugs. Asahi, a unit of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., expects the mug to be used at outdoor events. ...
Editorials Jun 17, 2019
Commentary / World Jun 8, 2019
Southeast Asia should want the world's junk
by Adam Minter
Forcing rich countries to keep and process all of their own recycling isn't the best way to protect the environment.
World / Science & Health Jun 6, 2019
Fishermen catch plastic in the Mediterranean as part of new Italian initiative
by Charles Onians
On a moonlit night off Italy's coast, fishermen are hauling in the usual catch: cuttlefish, red mullet and plastic waste. But this time, they won't throw the rubbish back. The trash instead is being collected, analyzed and, where possible, recycled in an initially monthlong experiment ...
Asia Pacific / Science & Health Jun 1, 2019
At the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, later this month, Japan aims to forge an agreement on the reduction of plastic waste inflow to the ocean to zero by 2050.
National May 31, 2019
Japan adopts policy package aimed at cutting plastic waste ahead of Osaka G20 summit
Ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka at the end of June, the government adopts a policy package aimed at reducing plastic waste.
Asia Pacific May 22, 2019
Malaysia, flooded with plastic waste, to send scrap back to source
Malaysia, which has become the dumping ground for the world's plastic waste, will send back nonrecyclable plastic scrap to the developed countries that sent it there, its environment minister said on Tuesday. Malaysia last year became the leading alternative destination for plastic scrap after China ...
National May 17, 2019
Municipalities that accept the request will pass on the costs for incineration to companies generating industrial plastic.