McDonald’s To Phase Out Plastic Toys From Its Happy Meals

Good News Notes: “The toys that come in McDonald’s Happy Meals will soon be made mostly from corn and other materials rather than from fossil fuel-based plastic, the fast-food chain says. The switch is already underway in some international markets; it’s expected to be complete globally by 2025. “Making our toys out of renewable, recycled,…

Plastic Impact Alliance, YETI, and Costa collaborate at Outdoor Retailer

Good News Notes: “For the past three years, the Plastic Impact Alliance (PIA), a coalition of more than 420 active-lifestyle businesses committed to reducing single-use plastics in the outdoor industry, has been working to eliminate plastic bottles from our industry’s biggest trade shows and events. The most recent Outdoor Retailer show, held last month in Denver, was yet another opportunity for the…

17-YO’s Startup Recycles 10 Tonnes of Plastic Everyday, Turning it into Fabric

Good News Notes: “In 2019, reports estimated that over 3.3 million metric tonnes of plastic wound up in landfills across India. However, to reduce the burden on the environment, Aditya Banger (17) a resident of Bhilwara, Rajasthan has started recycling plastic bottles, wrappers and covers to make fabric. “The process takes one or two days but the…

MU, MoDOT to use recycled plastic to resurface Stadium Boulevard

Good News Notes: “Although plastic isnotoriously difficult to recycle, engineers at the University of Missouri are partnering with Dow and the Missouri Department of Transportation for a potential use of large volumes of waste plastic in road material. A section of Stadium Boulevard will be resurfaced using the waste plastic in the asphalt mixture sometime…

These entrepreneurs want consumers to reuse wine bottles

Good News Notes: “Americans aren’t the biggest wine sippers in the world — imbibing a mere 3.2 gallons per person in 2020 versus the 16 gallons guzzled by Portuguese residents, according to estimates from the industry’s primary source of stats.  But the habit still translates into a whole lot of single-use bottles: About 4.3 billion of…

Waste hop stem in the beer industry upcycled into cellulose nanofibers

Good News Notes: “Some three quarters of the biomass in hop plants used in beer-making ends up in landfills. But a group of Japanese researchers has developed a technique that ‘upcycles’ that waste hop into cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). A paper describing the technique was published in the journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology on June 11. In…

Hygienist fights plastic pollution with sustainable products

Good News Notes: “A Portland dental hygienist is not only keeping people’s mouths clean but is also trying to help the environment. Ingrid Adeogun realized a few years ago just how much plastic waste comes from the dental industry. Many research companies show that approximately 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in…

Target sets sustainability goals: Net-zero emissions by 2040

Good News Notes: “Target is known for its exclusive merchandise, with private label brands for everything from arts and craft supplies to apparel. Now, the retailer is pledging to make all those products more environmentally sustainable. It said Tuesday it will design items that are more durable and will eliminate waste and encourage reuse by 2040….

Biodegradable Phone Case Tackles Plastics Pollution

Good News Notes: “While it might not be the biggest source of plastics showing up in waterways and failing to degrade in landfills, biodegradable phone cases could be a start.   According to Michael Pratt, the founder of Pivet, his company’s smartphone cases utilize a newly developed material that will completely decompose in traditional environments,…