Our everyday plastic straws are designed as single-use products that we use to consume drinks and throw away after just one use. Also, plastic straws are not recyclable and so they contribute contribute significant amounts of waste that ends up in landfills or our oceans. Plastic straws are non-biodegradable and can take up to 200 […]
It is always amazing to see how seemingly little things can make such a great impact. Many people buy and chew gum mindlessly not realizing that the little piece taken for fun and pleasure contains plastic and can pose a threat to the environment. The plastic polymers that are used in regular chewing gums are […]
A lot has been said concerning the massive pollution and threat that plastic causes to human and marine life, and to the environment as a whole. There is therefore a strong case for alternatives that are biodegradable and healthier for our world. Traditional alternatives include glass and paper, but plastic remains popular for their strength […]
A team of researchers in the University of Portsmouth have created a new “super enzyme” that can break down plastic up to six times faster than their previous enzyme. According to a press release, the scientists combined a previously re-engineered plastic-eating enzyme named PETase with a second enzyme to speed up the process. The super […]
Plastic is coming back to bite us It is no longer news that the world has a huge plastic problem. Every year we send about 8 million tonnes of plastic into our oceans. This plastic breaks down into microplastics which is ingested by sea life and later by sea food eaters. Studies show that microplastic […]
Globally, the past few months have witnessed a surge in the use of the diverse forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production and consumption of surgical face masks, hand gloves, hand sanitizers and other PPE have increased drastically. It is now mandatory to use a face mask in […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated certain lifestyle changes for humans around the world. Because of the way that the virus is spread, health experts advise the use of face masks, frequent hand washing and maintaining physical distancing as part of measures to curtail the spread of the disease. In fact, face coverings are now a […]
Ghana generates about 22,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually but only 2 percent gets recycled. A company in Ghana called Nelplast Eco is changing that. Its founder is Ghanaian engineer Nelson Boateng. He created his own recycling machine using scrap metal and started the company to recycle around 4,400 pounds of plastic junk. The Nelplast website […]
The columns of Mexico City′s busiest highways have been converted into more than 600,000 square feet of vertical gardens stretching across 27km. Through its project tagged Via Verde, it has transformed over 1,000 previously bare and boring concrete pillars of its elevated highway. It is acclaimed to be the “greatest urban greening project under construction […]
Although shelter is considered as one of man′s basic needs, many people around the world lack access to decent shelter. Many of such people are displaced persons who have had to flee from their homes and communities, eventually ending up in refugee and internally displaced persons camps. One of such refugees is a young man […]