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![A plastic bag is in a yard with leaves and grass](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_2742-e1680623229389-900x422.jpg)
As Athens considers a plastic bags ban, business owners worry about extra costs
By: Madison Moore
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Plastic bags are widely used by stores and vendors in Athens, but those businesses may soon have to replace them with more sustainable alternatives. On March… Read More
![The PureCycle plant in Ironton, Ohio. The plant recycles plastic waste into reusable "feedstock" pellets.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/PureCycle-plant-e1673456445860-900x422.jpg)
A new plant in Ironton uses cutting-edge technology to recycle plastic waste
By: Taylor Burnette
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IRONTON, Ohio (WOUB) — “A molecular washing machine” is how PureCycle’s CEO Dustino Olson describes the company’s plastic recycling process. At their recently constructed plant in Ironton, all sorts of… Read More
![plastic bottles and other types of plastic waste at the Thilafushi waste disposal site](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/shutterstock_426187984-e1670261157662-900x422.jpg)
How countries are trying to tackle the plastic pollution problem together
By: PBS Newshour
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (PBS News Hour) — This week, representatives from 150 nations are meeting in Uruguay with the goal of dramatically reducing or eliminating all plastic pollution by 2040. Meanwhile,… Read More
![A worker operates a forklift to move household waste at a facility that stores recyclable materials in Seoul, South Korea. In 2019, more than 130 million metric tons of single-use plastics were thrown away, according to a new report.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gettyimages-1302396554-8bf0fbcf5824d7a4776807ac6ad206dd75421df6-scaled-e1621438143660-900x422.jpg)
20 Companies Are Behind Half Of The World’s Single-Use Plastic Waste, Study Finds
By: Jason Breslow | NPR
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More than 130 million metric tons of single-use plastics were thrown out in 2019, according to a new report that puts Exxon Mobil atop a list of the companies that produce it.
![Some bags](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_6218-900x422.jpg)
November Morsbag Pod Meetup
What is a Morsbag, you ask? An international movement known as Morsbags has formed ‘pods’ of sewists all over the world who meet up to sociably upcycle fabrics into reusable… Read More
![Plastic bags in a grocery cart.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gettyimages-971756310-1-206ceb0089cb936d383ba002e9af6525ce254197-e1554830585425-900x422.jpg)
Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage?
By: Greg Rosalsky | NPR
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A national movement to ban plastic bags is gaining steam, but these restrictions may actually hurt the environment more than help it. Human nature, hard truths, and what kind of bag to use anyway?
![The U.S. used to ship about 7 million tons of plastic trash to China a year, where much of it was recycled into raw materials. Then came the Chinese crackdown of 2018.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/66666_e8a9833-05945baf142e3ea065643ad8d9d5da5b88d29c6a-e1552582339457-900x422.jpg)
Where Will Your Plastic Trash Go Now That China Doesn’t Want It?
By: Christopher Joyce | NPR
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Last year, China drastically cut back its imports of plastic waste to recycle. Now the U.S. and other wealthy nations must figure out what to do with their discards.
![Waste engineer Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia surveys plastic waste in a southeast Asian village, where it will be recycled to make raw material for more plastic products. Jambeck advises Asian governments on how to keep plastic trash out of waterways.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/img-20180628-wa0001-0852e1fef38757312b401be61cf6b69a5db0d4ea-900x422.jpeg)
We’re Overrun With Plastic Trash. An Environmental Engineer Seeks A Solution
By: Christopher Joyce | NPR
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The engineer views a landfill as a living ecosystem, and the plastic that clogs it as a serious threat that crowds out life and never goes away. Can we eliminate the waste before it smothers us?