The Japan Times13h ago
Plastic is widely used in medicine, and the shortage of a key ingredient has patients in Japan worried about the availability of life-saving equipment as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply chains. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/02/japan/science-health/naphtha-shortage-medical/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #oil #naphtha #middleeast #plastic #supplychains #economicsecurity #iran #us #manufacturing
Patients in Japan seek stable supply of medical goods as war concerns loom

Shortages of naphtha — used in plastic — has patients worried about access to life-saving equipment as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply chains.

The Japan Times
SweetLightning14h ago

This might just help solve our big plastic problem. Fish and chips and dissolved polyethylene. Yum.

#plastic #environment #science #climate

https://www.sweetlightning.eco/turning-plastic-waste-into-vinegar/

Turning Plastic Waste Into Vinegar

One solution to plastic waste might not have any downside.

SweetLightning
ResearchBuzz: Firehose19h ago

Carnegie Mellon University: Recycling by Ear: Heinz College Students Use Sound To Sort Plastic and Cut Costs. “A team of students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy investigated whether recycling facilities could effectively sort plastics by the sounds they make when dropped, as density differs by plastic type…. By the end of the fall […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2026/04/02/recycling-by-ear-heinz-college-students-use-sound-to-sort-plastic-and-cut-costs-carnegie-mellon-university/
Recycling by Ear: Heinz College Students Use Sound To Sort Plastic and Cut Costs (Carnegie Mellon University)

Carnegie Mellon University: Recycling by Ear: Heinz College Students Use Sound To Sort Plastic and Cut Costs. “A team of students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Informatio…

ResearchBuzz: Firehose
Show threadWilliam Lindsey 1d ago

"The feedstocks for fertilizer are largely manufactured from natural gas, & Persian Gulf nations were major producers, shipping their production out through the Strait of Hormuz, before the war. Here’s what has happened to the price of urea: ...

And where do you think plastic comes from? Here’s the price of polyethylene: ...

Less than half of U.S. consumption of petroleum products was gasoline."

See Krugman's charts.

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #StraitofHormuz #diesel #fertilizer #plastic
/6

Show threadWilliam Lindsey 1d ago

"The rise in gasoline prices, for which the national average just hit $4 a gallon, has made headlines. But other prices are also hugely important.

Most non-electric cars run on gasoline, but most trucks are fueled with diesel. And diesel prices are up even more than gasoline prices — approximately $1.70 per gallon as opposed to $1."

~ Paul Krugman

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #StraitofHormuz #diesel #fertilizer #plastic
/5

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/4-gasoline-is-less-than-half-the

$4 Gasoline is Less Than Half the Story

The biggest losers from the Iran War are buyers of diesel, jet fuel, chemicals and fertilizer

Paul Krugman
Ian Badcoe2d ago
Cultivate #Synthetic #Tranquility, foster a sense of #Artificial #Detachment as you dust your #Plastic #Bonsai using authentic ancient techniques...
Primo Natura2d ago

"Plastic washing at recycling plants can spike phthalates in wastewater, study suggests"

#Plastic #Plastics #Environment

https://phys.org/news/2026-03-plastic-recycling-spike-phthalates-wastewater.html

Plastic washing at recycling plants can spike phthalates in wastewater, study suggests

Potentially harmful chemicals can contaminate untreated water used in recycling plants to clean plastics before they're processed into new products, according to a new study by an Iowa State University research group. Researchers from Iowa State's Polymer and Food Protection Consortium tested common industrial plastic-washing practices and found that some methods left the wash water with high levels of two types of phthalates—a class of widely used additives linked to cancer risks and hormone disruptions related to reproduction and development, especially in children.

Phys.org
Marc Véron2d ago
In #Paris gibt es jetzt als Massnahme gegen die Flut der #Kunststoff- #WegwerfFlaschen neben den bestehenden Trinkbrunnen neu solche mit kohlensäurehaltigem Wasser, wo die eigene #Trinkflasche aufgefüllt werden kann. Das Netz wird laufend ausgebaut. - Echt cool! Und gern auch in anderen Städten und Gemeinden!
#Basel #Bern #Zürich #Berlin #Wien #Stadt #Stadtleben #Umweltverschmutzung #Plastic #Wasser #Trinkwasser #Sprudel #EauPetillante #Blöterliwasser #EauDeParis
https://www.eaudeparis.fr/actualit%C3%A9s/une-nouvelle-fontaine-deau-petillante-installee-dans-le-13e
Une nouvelle fontaine d’eau pétillante installée dans le 13e ! | Eau de Paris

Le 13ᵉ arrondissement accueille deux nouvelles fontaines d’Eau de Paris, dont une pétillante très attendue. Installées sur les façades du nouveau siège d’Eau de Paris, elles renforcent l’accès gratuit à l’eau de qualité dans le quartier.

Eau de Paris
Ricardo Wang3d ago

#digitalphotography #hanging #plastic #skeleton #moon #twilight #sky #stjohns #portland #bluehour #nightphotography #demimeme #nogenerativeai

Over the Moon

Calishat3d ago

#recycling #plastic #sound

'By the end of the fall semester, the students had created a machine-learning model that can classify plastic types by sound with over 90% precision.'

https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2026/march/recycling-by-ear-heinz-college-students-use-sound-to-sort-plastic-and-cut-costs

Recycling by Ear: Heinz College Students Use Sound To Sort Plastic and Cut Costs

A team of students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy investigated whether recycling facilities could effectively sort plastics by the sounds they make when dropped, as density differs by plastic type. They worked on the project with the Reclamation Factory, a Pittsburgh-based company that develops technologies to lower the cost of recycling.

News