Tag: University of Portsmouth

Global push for reuse stalls as fragmented policies hold back progress of tackling plastic pollution, new report finds

Stuart Mitchell

Reuse systems, as a model to reduce plastic pollution, are beginning to emerge across the world but remain constrained by fragmented policies, weak financial incentives and gaps in infrastructure, according to a trio of new reports released today.  The research, launched by the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, provides the first comparative analysis of reuse policy across Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.   Drawing on multi-year policy analysis, stakeholder interviews and comparative research, the reports examine how governments are supporting reuse and what must happen next for systems to…

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“Plastic-eating” fusion enzyme improves polyester textile recycling

Stuart Mitchell

A redesigned “plastic-eating” enzyme could help turn old polyester textiles back into useful raw materials – but only if the plastic is prepared in the right way In a study published in Bioresource Technology Journal, scientists from the universities of Portsmouth and Manchester report that a specially engineered enzyme can significantly speed up the breakdown of PET – the plastic used in water bottles, food packaging and polyester clothing – when it is processed at high concentrations similar to those used in industry.  PET, short for poly (ethylene terephthalate), is cheap, durable, and widely used. But those same qualities mean it builds up in vast quantities once thrown…

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Researchers find microplastics in 100 per cent of donkey faecal samples tested

Stuart Mitchell

A study by the University of Portsmouth has revealed for the first time the extent of the devastating impact of plastic pollution on livestock, humans and the wider environment on the Kenyan island of Lamu.   The study was carried out by members of the Revolution Plastics Institute at The University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with The Donkey Sanctuary, The Flop Flopi Project and the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.   Until now the impact of plastic waste on terrestrial working animals has been largely overlooked with most of the…

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Counting plastic reveals hidden waste and sparks action

Stuart Mitchell

Online supermarket shopping is fuelling Britain’s plastic waste crisis because packaging is less visible to consumers, according to new research from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth.  The study found that nearly half of UK households underestimate how much plastic they throw away each week, a phenomenon researchers call “plastic blindness”. Those who relied most heavily on online grocery deliveries were especially likely to be shocked by the volume of waste they consumed.  “We believe plastic blindness is a coping strategy,” explains lead author Dr Kate Whitman of the Revolution Plastics Institute. “Consumers have…

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Road pollution ‘stressing’ ocean life with complex chemical cocktails, new study finds

Stuart Mitchell

Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny marine algae known as diatoms – single-celled plants that produce oxygen and support entire ocean ecosystems. The study focused on a species called Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that like others,…

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