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Why is the world so divided over plastics?
Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
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Bacteria can turn plastic waste into a painkiller
Under the radar The process could be a solution to plastic pollution
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How worried should we be about microplastics in our brains?
The Explainer Average human brain contains enough plastic fragments to make a spoon
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Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
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Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
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Flame retardants found in black plastics could have health consequences
Under the Radar Time to replace your kitchen tools
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Mushrooms and urine – the strange solutions to our plastic problem
The Explainer Over 30% of plastics are single-use prompting imaginative alternatives
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Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the Spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
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Why transparent wood offers 'promising future' for the environment
The Explainer New techniques that change structure of material could mean tougher and more efficient windows and phone screens
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How to fix the UK’s broken recycling system
feature There are currently 39 different bin collection regimes with different rules and regulations across 391 local authorities
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Microbes found in Alps can digest plastics at low temperatures
Speed Read Cold-weather microorganisms could offer more sustainable and cheaper way to combat pollution
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What’s caused the big stink over Britain’s sewage?
Today's Big Question Clean water a ‘politically charged issue’ as government sets outs plans to clean up rivers and coastal areas
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Why it’s so hard to fix the world’s plastics crisis
feature Campaigners urge shift from clean-up and recycling to reduction and re-use to counter explosion of plastic waste
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How did nanoplastics end up at the North and South Pole?
In Depth Researchers identify plastic particles in Arctic ice dating back to 1960s
In Depth
