The present invention relates to novel thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) compositions that contain linear monohydric alcohols. The present invention provides for TPU compositions which may be applied at relatively low temperatures, but upon activation (e.g., activation by ultraviolet light), exhibits higher temperature and melt resistance.

Richard Lutz witnesses change and immutability as 2020 approaches.

Airborne bread delivery helps reduce impact on the natural world.

“The Puma and First Mile programme has diverted about 40 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, just for the products made for 2020. This roughly translates into 1,980,286 plastic bottles being reused,” said Stefan Seidel, head of corporate sustainability for Puma, in a press statement

Plastic has unique properties not shared by other materials. If you're designing something that will eventually be created in plastic, considering the complexities of manufacturing in your design process is critical. In this course, learn how to design parts for additive manufacturing in plastic using Autodesk Fusion 360—the affordable cloud-powered CAD and CAM tool that works like more expensive, industry-focused tools. Instructor Thom Tremblay explains how to create a form, complete and visualize your design, and set it up for 3D printing, all while designing a ready-to-manufacture part. Plus, learn a more complex alternative modeling processes for creating a solid from surfaces and subdividing a solid model.

Andy Orr teaches English as a second language, but in his spare time he heads down to the Sydney Harbour shoreline to collect the plastics that wash up. He finds obvious things like straws, lids, styrofoam and soy sauce fish bottles, but also, plumber's wedges used for grouting, discarded lollipop sticks and cigarette butts.

Thousands of bottles, soy sauce containers, wrappers and microplastics that have been fished out of Melbourne's iconic river will be melted down to create seats along the water's edge.

Milk bottles, plastic bags and electrical wire bound for the rubbish tip have been given a second life as part of Warwick's Jumpers and Jazz in July festival.

It's the system they have in London and Chicago, it's being trialled in New York, and soon it will allow people in Cairns, Mackay and Townsville to pay for trains and buses with their credit cards and mobile phones.

At a conservative estimate, people around the world are consuming a credit card's-worth of microplastic every week, according to a new study.

A small town team harnesses sewing power to create more than 4,000 reusable alternatives to single-use plastic bags in a bid to save the planet.

When Chontelle Grecian took up the Plastic Free July challenge, she was looking for a simpler way of living. What she discovered was a way to save the household budget and have fun with the whole family.

Homicide detectives say 29-year-old Danielle Easey, whose body was discovered wrapped in plastic in a creek near Lake Macquarie at the weekend, had become involved in drugs and was likely killed in mid-August.

What started as a school project to make art from drink bottle lids has ended up with 3D-printed prosthetic limbs made from recycled plastic.

Plastic packaging

Ocean lover Adam Western was sick of picking up Mentos mint wrappers from his favourite beach so he decided it was time somebody challenged the global confectionery company.

When tiny pieces of plastic that were spilled on other side of the world start washing up on your beaches, who is responsible for cleaning them up?

The South Australian Government is looking at banning single-use plastic products such as straws and cutlery in a bid to lead the nation in another anti-littering cause.

It comes as no surprise to researchers that densely-populated beaches in Australia are contaminated with microplastics but what about our remote coastal areas?

From afar, it might look like Michelle Blewitt is teaching bystanders how to pan for gold, as she vigorously shakes a sieve full of sand on a beach, but on closer inspection, she is teaching locals how to hunt for microplastics.

Fashion brand COS has teamed up with French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani to present a large-scale 3D printed architectural installation made from renewable bioplastic bricks at this year's Milan design week.

State and territory leaders have agreed to establish a timetable to work towards a waste export ban.

Health professionals who say they have seen an increase in the number of "very young children" under the influence of solvents and inhalants warn the consequences of their actions are irreversible.

A man is charged over the death of a woman after he allegedly implanted a plastic snowflake under her skin at a NSW Central Coast tattoo shop.

A man and a woman are arrested in connection with the murder of Danielle Easey, whose body was found last month, wrapped in plastic and dumped in a creek near Newcastle.

Pot plants are a nice way to brighten up any room. Learn how to make your own pot planters using plastic bottles you might find in your recycling bin. Why would you want to use plastic rather than paper to make pot planters?

The pop star opens up about her new face.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, face masks have been in high demand. One company decided to take an eco-friendly approach to manufacturing and supplying the public with protective masks. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) partnered with the sustainable sportswear company Rash’r to turn plastic pollution found in the ocean into face masks.

All proceeds from the masks go directly back into the manufacturing of more masks to help recycle plastics from the ocean. The masks feature a number of ocean-themed designs and include special sizes for kids. The company has received more than 15,000 mask pre-orders in just a few weeks—which has helped recycle more than 1,300 pounds (590 kg) of ocean pollution. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that people wear cloth face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in public places. The masks made by PADI offer a sustainable alternative to the N95 respirator masks being reserved for health care workers.

One thing you should know about me is that I am from New York and I am half Italian. That means when I like something,…

These days are filled with stress and anxiety, but it’s also time to take pleasure in the small joys of life — such as a good cup of coffee. For coffee-connoisseurs, designer Samson Chung has just released a new collection of coffee and espresso makers called Kork Kafeware that, thanks to its sleek combination of stainless steel and cork accents, lets you sit down to enjoy a superb cup of joe, slowly and sustainably.[...]

Researchers in a new U.K.-led study found a staggering volume of microplastics on the seafloor. At up to 1.9 million pieces on a single square meter, it’s the highest level on record.[...]

California suspended its pioneering plastic bag ban because of coronavirus fears about reusable bags. That can't be a permanent backslide.

No matter how hard I tried, plastic kept sneaking its way back into my life.

Don't get overwhelmed. Start with doable goals in your quest to cut back on plastics.

If you're feeling guilty about the plastic in all those deliveries you're getting, there are worthy alternatives.

There's no evidence that the use of plastic bags prevents exposure to the coronavirus, so why use them instead of reusable bags?

Mizkan Euro Ltd is recalling Branston Pickle products because they may contain pieces of plastic.

Coop is recalling Frozen Hash Browns because they may contain pieces of white plastic. The possible presence of plastic makes this product unsafe to eat.

ALARMING levels of plastic have been found on the Mediterranean seabed, scientists revealed yesterday.

"This may become the new normal." The fitness and beauty industries may look much different after Indiana's coronavirus stay-at-home order is lifted.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Crawling along the world's river bottoms, the larvae of the caddis fly suffer a perpetual housing crisis. To protect themselves from predators, they gather up sand grains and other sediment and paste them all together with silk, forming a cone that holds their worm-like bodies. As they mature and elongate, they have to continuously add material to the case -- think of it like adding rooms to your home for the rest of your life, or at least until you turn into an adult insect. If the caddis fly larva somehow loses its case, it's got to start from scratch, and that's quite the precarious situation for a defenseless tube of flesh. And now, the microplastic menace is piling onto the caddis fly's list of tribulations. Microplastic particles -- pieces of plastic under 5 millimeters long -- have already corrupted many of Earth's environments, including the formerly pristine Arctic and deep-sea sediments. In a study published last year, researchers in Germany reported finding microplastic particles in the cases of caddis flies in the wild. Then, last month, they published the troubling results of lab experiments that found the more microplastic particles a caddis fly larva incorporates into its case, the weaker that structure becomes. That could open up caddis flies to greater predation, sending ripple effects through river ecosystems. In the lab, the researchers found that the larvae chose to use two kinds of microplastics to build their cases, likely because the plastic is lighter than the sand, so it's not as hard to lift. The problem is that the cases with more plastic and less sand collapse more easily, weakening the larvae's protection from predatory fish, among other things. A more long-term concern is bioaccumulation. "A small fish eats a larva, a bigger fish eats the smaller fish, all the way on up, and the concentrations of microplastic and associated toxins accumulate over time," the report says. "The bigger predators that people eat, like tuna, may be absorbing those microplastics and the chemicals they leach." The study has been published in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Mediterranean sediments are shown to have up to 1.9 million tiny plastic pieces per square metre.

The partnership will join hands with four UK startups as it hopes to reduce plastic waste as part of its retail tech initiative, JLAB

(Tokyo University of Science) Plastic waste often ends up in river bodies and oceans, posing a serious threat to the marine ecosystem. To prevent the accumulation of plastic debris, we must find out where plastic emission is prevalent. To this end, scientists in Japan have come up with a new method to track plastic emissions from inland areas to sea. This method is useful to identify the 'hotspots' of plastic emission and can even help to implement appropriate measures to avoid plastic pollution.