Today’s Solutions: December 15, 2024

Major US airline eliminates pl

Major US airline eliminates plastic water cups and bottles on board

You’ve probably noticed in your travels that flying involves a lot of plastic waste. While airport water fill up stations and compostable packaging have helped a bit, in flight services are still plastic-intensive. To address the largest source of in-flight plastic waste, water cups, Alaska Read More...

engineer stands in front of wall of plastic pollution

These 5 new California laws combat plastic waste

The problem of plastic is in many ways a pandemic in and of itself, and the entire world is suffering from it. Most consumers believe that recycling is an effective way to combat the plastic problem, however, in practice the system simply doesn’t work, and in fact, only encourages people to Read More...

McDonald's Happy Meal box sits on white table

McDonald's to phase out plastic toys in Happy Meals by 2025

Many of us have fond memories of visiting McDonald’s with our friends and family as children and receiving the specially packaged Happy Meals. Underneath those cardboard golden arches, we knew that we would find a little toy inside, which we would eagerly anticipate putting together and playing Read More...

France bids “adieu” to pla

France bids “adieu” to plastic packaging for fresh produce

Plastic pollution is strangling our planet. To combat the use of unnecessary plastics, France has announced that it will be banning plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables. Currently, an estimated 37 percent of fruit and vegetables are sold with plastic packaging in France, so the ban will Read More...

Ocean Cleanup Project reports

Ocean Cleanup Project reports successful trial of its newest and largest system

From ocean trash capture systems to innovative river barges, The Ocean Cleanup Project is dedicated to cleaning our waterways of pollution. In recent years, the organization has focused on scaling up its solutions to address massive areas of pollution, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Their Read More...

This Indonesian museum is made

This Indonesian museum is made out of plastic pollution

The problem of plastic pollution is largely perpetuated by a lack of education and awareness about what actually contributes to this worldwide issue, and what we, the people, can do to help. To bring plastic pollution to the forefront of the minds of the public, activists in Indonesia have Read More...

Clean Ocean Sailing strives to

Clean Ocean Sailing strives to collect hard-to-reach plastic

Steve Green and his partner Monika Hertlová have started an ocean cleaning movement from their unique home base on the Helford River in Cornwall. The base is a 113-year-old, 55-ton former icebreaker; a boat specially designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. The pair launched Read More...

This self-sufficient floating

This self-sufficient floating island is designed to clean up our oceans

Here at The Optimist Daily, we have a soft spot for creative solutions to environmental challenges. That’s why we’re happy to share with you the story of the 8th continent — an award-winning design that recycles ocean plastic and is fully self-sustainable. Designed by Lenka Petráková, a Read More...

Mr. Trash Wheel is keeping Bal

Mr. Trash Wheel is keeping Baltimore’s Harbor free of trash

Trash interceptors have become an increasingly popular tool in our efforts to help prevent plastic waste from escaping into the ocean. More than a year ago, we shared a story about some of the most popular projects around the world using interceptors to capture plastics in rivers. Among them was Read More...

Bioplastic inspired by spider

Bioplastic inspired by spider silk could replace single-use plastics

One of the most difficult-to-recycle types of plastic is the ‘microcapsule’ — a form of microplastic that’s added to the ingredients of many homecare and bodycare products. These tiny capsules then wash down the drain, where they pollute waterways because they’re so hard to detect. In an Read More...