Our website use cookies to improve and personalize your experience and to display advertisements (if any). Our website may also include cookies from third parties like Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and Youtube. By using the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Kenya president urges progress on global treaty against plastic pollution

Kenya president urges progress on global treaty against plastic pollution

NEGOTIATORS working on the world's first treaty to curb plastic pollution need to hurry up and strike a deal, Kenyan President William Ruto said at the start of talks in Nairobi. The world produces about 400 million metric tonnes of plastic waste annually and less than 10% of it is recycled, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. At least 14 million metric tonnes end up in the ocean every year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says, while more piles up in landfills. International delegates meeting in the Kenyan capital Nairobi for the third round of talks will consider a list…
Read More
Egyptian startup turns millions of bags into tiles

Egyptian startup turns millions of bags into tiles

AN Egyptian startup is aiming to turn more than 5 billion plastic bags into tiles tougher than cement as it tackles the twin problems of tonnes of waste entering the Mediterranean Sea and high levels of building sector emissions. "So far, we have recycled more than 5 million plastic bags, but this is just the beginning," TileGreen co-founder Khaled Raafat told Reuters. "We aim that by 2025, we will have recycled more than 5 billion plastic bags." At the company's factory, on the outskirts of Cairo, workers carry large barrels loaded with mixed plastic waste to be melted down and…
Read More
Why microplastics found in Nigeria’s freshwaters raise a red flag

Why microplastics found in Nigeria’s freshwaters raise a red flag

EMMANUEL O. AKINDELE, Senior Lecturer, Obafemi Awolowo University FRESHWATER ecosystems are a priority for environmental scientists because they affect the health of animals and plants on land too – as well as people. They provide food, water, transport and flood control. Freshwater ecosystems also keep nutrients moving among organisms and support diverse forms of life. Freshwater systems make a big difference to the quality of life in any human society. But they are under great pressure. Freshwater biodiversity is declining faster than terrestrial biodiversity. Among the three major types of habitats – terrestrial, freshwater and marine – freshwater accounts for…
Read More