plastics

Discarded cigarette butts, empty cans and bottles have been fouling Southwest Florida’s beaches, preserves and parking lots for as long as people have been using such items, and now there is a new scourge being mixed in: discarded face masks used to protect the wearer from Covid-19. Masks come in many shapes and sizes, but one commonality is too many of them are being discarded everywhere except in a trash can. “Mask litter” is a worldwide problem with serious environmental ramifications. A report published in the journal Nature Sustainability finds a “skyrocketing” increase in mask littler in 14 months in 11 countries including the United States, a finding the study’s authors called “devastating.

A conversation with artist and founder the Drifters Project Pam Longobardi about her exhibition in the Baker Museum at Artis-Naples, which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

Oceana reveals for the first time the available data on marine mammals and sea turtles swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic in U.S. waters.

It’s called “the plastic monster.” The 15-foot sculpture made of plastic bags, bottles, and packaging visited the state Capitol in Tallahassee earlier...

The prevalence of plastics throughout our environment should come as no surprise to anyone by now. Researchers continue to find it in remote places on our…

The prevalence of plastics throughout our environment should come as no surprise to anyone by now. Researchers continue to find it in remote places on our…

A fight over disposable straws could return to the state Legislature, even after Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year vetoed a bill that would have...

By Cathy Carter A proposal to ban polystyrene products, commonly known as Styrofoam, and to limit the use of plastic straws is moving forward in the...

We’ve been hearing more and more stories lately about the various places plastics are showing up in our environment. Stories of dead dolphins washing…

The persistent and growing problem of plastics in our environment is becoming increasingly clear. We're revisiting a conversation we had with a local who…