scholarly journals Beverage bottle capacity, packaging efficiency, and the potential for plastic waste reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Becerril-Arreola ◽  
R. E. Bucklin
Keyword(s):  
Product Category ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Pet Waste ◽  
Pet Bottles ◽  
Enormous Amount ◽  
Packaging Efficiency ◽  
The U.S

AbstractPlastic pollution is a pressing issue because authorities struggle to contain and process the enormous amount of waste produced. We study the potential for reducing plastic waste by examining the efficiency with which different polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles deliver beverages. We find that 80% of the variation in bottle weight is explained by bottle capacity, 16% by product category, and 1% by brand. Bottle weight is quadratic and convex function of capacity, which implies that medium capacity bottles are most efficient at delivering consumable product. Local data on PET bottle sales and municipal waste recovery validate the findings. A 20% shift in consumption from smaller to larger bottles could reduce the production of PET waste by over 10,000 t annually in the U.S. alone.

scholarly journals A Brief Review on Plastic Pollution and Roads Towards its Reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vandita Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Insulin Pens

Plastic, owing to its excellent strength to weight ratio, durability, low cost, low maintenance and corrosion free characteristics, has found a wide range of applications, in packaging, shopping/garbage bags, bottles for mineral water and juices, clothing, toys, household items and building materials. It has revolutionized the health care industry with the development of medical tools and devices including disposable items like surgical gloves, syringes, insulin pens, blood bags, catheters etc. to prevent spreading of infectious diseases. Especially during COVID-19 pandemic, the use of products like PPE kit, face masks has been increased significantly. Despite these excellent properties, plastic has become a major cause of pollution due to its non-biodegradability and toxic effects. Globally, more than 350 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic waste is generated annually, about 79% of which goes into landfill, only 9% is recycled and rest 12% is incerinated. Incineration of plastic waste releases toxic gases like polychlorinated biphenyls (BCPs), furans and dioxins into the atmosphere that poses a serious threat to environment affecting vegetation and marine ecosystem, in addition to human health. This review briefly covers various kinds of plastics and their applications in various sectors. The next section describes their potential hazards on the ecosystem and on human health. It also deliberates various methods for plastic waste reduction including recycling that enables a circular approach towards sustainable plastic waste management. The regulations and their implementation to reduce plastic waste are also discussed with special reference to India including extended producer responsibility for the plastic producers.

Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 369 (6510) ◽  
pp. 1515-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie B. Borrelle ◽  
Jeremy Ringma ◽  
Kara Lavender Law ◽  
Cole C. Monnahan ◽  
Laurent Lebreton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystem ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Environmental Recovery ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Levels

Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. In response, multilevel mitigation strategies are being adopted but with a lack of quantitative assessment of how such strategies reduce plastic emissions. We assessed the impact of three broad management strategies, plastic waste reduction, waste management, and environmental recovery, at different levels of effort to estimate plastic emissions to 2030 for 173 countries. We estimate that 19 to 23 million metric tons, or 11%, of plastic waste generated globally in 2016 entered aquatic ecosystems. Considering the ambitious commitments currently set by governments, annual emissions may reach up to 53 million metric tons per year by 2030. To reduce emissions to a level well below this prediction, extraordinary efforts to transform the global plastics economy are needed.

scholarly journals Reducing plastic waste by visualizing marine consequences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Luo ◽  
Jeremy Douglas ◽  
Sabine Pahl ◽  
Jiaying Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Control Trial ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Marine Animal ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Randomized Control

Plastic pollution has become a major global conservation challenge. To reduce the generation of plastic waste, we designed and tested several behavioral interventions in a randomized control trial to reduce plastic waste in a high-rise office building. We randomly assigned eight floors in the building to four conditions: (1) simplified recycling signage, (2) signage with a marine animal trapped in plastic debris, (3) signage with a pledge that invited people to be plastic wise to protect ocean life, and (4) control. We found that the signage with the animal reduced plastic waste by 17%, the largest effect among the other conditions. After implementing the signage to the entire building, we found an overall reduction in plastic waste over six weeks. The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of visualizing marine consequences of plastic waste and provides a new behavioral solution connecting disposal actions and the downstream consequences for plastic waste reduction.

scholarly journals Potential Chemicals from Plastic Wastes

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3175
Author(s):  
Ravindra Prajapati ◽  
Kirtika Kohli ◽  
Samir K. Maity ◽  
Brajendra K. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Chemical Production ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Medical Apparatus ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Future System ◽  
Plastic Wastes ◽  
The U.S

Plastic is referred to as a “material of every application”. From the packaging and automotive industries to the medical apparatus and computer electronics sectors, plastic materials are fulfilling demands efficiently. These plastics usually end up in landfills and incinerators, creating plastic waste pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2015, 9.1% of the plastic materials generated in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream was recycled, 15.5% was combusted for energy, and 75.4% was sent to landfills. If we can produce high-value chemicals from plastic wastes, a range of various product portfolios can be created. This will help to transform chemical industries, especially the petrochemical and plastic sectors. In turn, we can manage plastic waste pollution, reduce the consumption of virgin petroleum, and protect human health and the environment. This review provides a description of chemicals that can be produced from different plastic wastes and the research challenges involved in plastic waste to chemical production. This review also provides a brief overview of the state-of-the-art processes to help future system designers in the plastic waste to chemicals area.

scholarly journals How important risk analysis of plastic pollution in coastal area? Case study in Masohi, Central Maluku

2020 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 02014
Author(s):  
Bachtiar W Mutaqin ◽  
Muh Aris Marfai ◽  
Muhammad Helmi ◽  
Nurhadi Nurhadi ◽  
Muhammad Rizali Umarella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Function ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study

Human pressure on the coastal and aquatic surrounding ecosystem in Indonesia, through plastic waste, is increasing, considering that 60 % of the approximately 250 million people live in the coastal areas. Plastic waste originating from human activities has become a massive problem in almost all the small island and coastal regions, especially in the eastern part of Indonesia. This condition is caused by poor waste management and a lack of public awareness in disposing of waste in its place, including in an area known as its marine biodiversities and marine tourism spots like Masohi in Central Maluku. Also, the composition of waste is dominated by plastic waste that cannot be decomposed in a short period, continue circulated on the ocean currents, and will be deposited in coastal areas. Furthermore, some plastic waste will break down into micro-plastics that pollute not only the environment but also marine biota, which are often consumed by humans. This situation profoundly affects the sustainability and function of aquaecosystem services in coastal areas. Therefore, a comprehensive policy and regulation, and interdisciplinary study for analysing vulnerable coastal ecosystem, and mitigating the potential risk of plastic pollution in Masohi, Central Maluku are essential to be conducted.

scholarly journals Pendidikan Lingkungan: Plastic Pollution Awareness di Desa Jatireja, Cikarang, Jawa Barat

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filson M Sidjabat ◽  
Yunita Ismail ◽  
Evi Rismauli
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Waste Utilization ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
West Java ◽  
Education Community ◽  
The Government ◽  
Social Empowerment

Waste problems in Indonesia has reached a critical point that is contaminating many aspects in community. Poor waste management in land have an impact in water pollutions, rivers, and toward the ocean. This rivers and oceans pollution are become the spotlights for the world and the government. As a part of education community in West Java, President University has an important role to educati and find solutions relate with this issues, one of them is to implement Thidharma in the form of social empowerment in Jatireja Village. This environmental education activities was sharing knowledge about plastic waste treatment and management that can be conducted in household scale, and to encourage behavioral change and awareness among communities. Creative product of eco-brick was also implemented tas a part of waste utilization to make valueable product. Environmental education are needed to improve community awareness on plastic waste in Indonesia, especially in West Java.

Identifying global hotspots of plastic waste accumulation along river networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Gomez-Velez ◽  
Stefan Krause
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
River Network ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Trapping Efficiency ◽  
River Networks ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Relative Location ◽  
Plastic Pollution

<p>Global plastic pollution is affecting ecosystems and human health globally. Proposing solutions and coping strategies for this threat requires a clear understanding of the processes controlling the fate and transport of mismanaged plastics at multiple scales, going from watersheds to regions and even continents. River corridors are the primary conveyor and trap for mismanaged plastic produced within the landscape and eventually released to the ocean. New approaches that apply technological sensing innovations for monitoring plastic waste in aquatic environments can improve observations and plastic waste datasets globally. However, our understanding of when, where, and how to target monitoring is limited, reducing the benefit gained. There is therefore a critical demand for predictions of hotspots (as well as hot moments) of plastic accumulation along river networks globally, in order to optimize observational capacity.     </p><p>Here, we present a new global flow and transport model for plastic waste in riverine environments. Our model predicts that only a small fraction (roughly 2.5%) of the global mismanaged plastic that entered rivers since the 1950s has been delivered to the ocean by 2020, with an overwhelming majority sequestered in freshwater ecosystems. Furthermore, we predict the patterns of mismanaged plastic accumulation and its residence time depend on (i) the topology and geometry of the river network, (ii) the relative location of plastic sources, and (ii) the relative location and trapping efficiency of flow regulation structures, primarily large dams. Our results highlight the role of rivers as major sinks for plastic waste and the need for targeted remedial strategies that consider the structure of the river network and anthropogenic regulation when proposing intervention measures and sampling efforts.</p>

Polyurethane resin derived from polyol of palm olein and recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Ahmad Adamu ◽  
Norazilawati Muhamad Sarih ◽  
Seng Neon Gan
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Palm Olein ◽  
Ethylene Terephthalate ◽  
Alkali Resistance ◽  
Pet Waste ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pet Bottles ◽  
Poly Ethylene Terephthalate ◽  
Poly Ethylene ◽  
Excellent Adhesion

Purpose Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste from soft drink bottles was incorporated into palm olein alkyd to produce new polyol for use in polyurethane resins as surface protection on metal surfaces. Design/methodology/approach Alkyd was prepared from palm olein, glycerol and phthalic anhydride. PET underwent simultaneous glycolysis and transesterification reactions with the alkyd. Varying the amount of PET has led to polyols with different viscosities. Polyurethane resins were produced by reacting the polyols with toluene diisocyanate. The resins were coated on mild steel panels and cured. Performances of the cured films were tested. Findings The polyurethanes (PU) resin cured to a harder film with better thermal stability. Films showed excellent adhesion properties, while higher content of PET exhibited higher pencil hardness, better water, salt, acid and alkali resistance. Research limitations/implications Other vegetable oils could also be used. The alkyd structure could be changed by formulation to have different functionality and the ability to incorporate higher amount of PET waste. Rate of glycolysis of PET could be increased by higher amount of ethylene glycol. Practical implications This method has managed to use waste PET in producing new polyol and PU resins. The cured films exhibit good mechanical and chemical properties, as well as excellent adhesion and thermal stability. Social implications The non-biodegradable PET has created environmental pollution problems connected to littering and illegal landfilling. It has become necessary to pay greater attention to recycling PET bottles for obtaining valuable products. Originality/value This approach is different from the earlier reports, where PET was recycled to recover the raw materials.

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