Dumpster dive | Aug 27, 2024

Photo by The Garbage Lady

• Meet the only sport in the world that awards competitors for sustainability. SailGP hands out two awards each season: One to the fastest team, and one to the team with the most positive environmental impact. Sail on! (NBC News)

  
  

• Looking back on what was touted as "the greenest Olympics ever," it appears that Coca-Cola didn't get the memo. As a key sponsor and the sole beverage supplier at the games, the company poured 6.2 million drinks from plastic containers into plastic cups, effectively doubling the amount of single-use plastic waste. (The Guardian)

  
  

• All that waste should come as no surprise, considering that Coca-Cola is the world's leader in plastic pollution. (GIC)

  
  

• It's not just Coca-Cola pushing plastic waste. CBS reports on how the plastics industry has pushed the fraud of recycling for decades as a way to drive consumption and increase profit. Read | Watch (5:02min on YouTube)

  
  

• Similarly, The Conversation explains how decades of recycling lies have distracted us from more sustainable ways to manage waste and created so much confusion that consumers routinely fail at proper disposal. It's too complicated!

  
  

• The Guardian effectively sums up why we need to curb "stupid plastics" and stop industry BS. In short, we need to take action now to address the impending onslaught of microplastic pollution and the health risks it poses.

  
  

• The onslaught is already happening: A troubling new study has found microplastics in human brain tissue, up to 20 times more plastic than in other organs. The study found higher levels of plastic in samples from people who had dementia, and it found that samples from 2024 had more plastic than those from 2016; the 2024 samples were 0.5% plastic by weight. The study is still undergoing peer review, but the National Library of Medicine has posted the preprint version. (Yale E360)

  
  

• Diverting spring water from public lands into single-use plastic bottles is shifty business and not great for the environment, so I was happy to see this headline: Forest Service orders Arrowhead bottled water company to shut down California pipeline. The company has been getting the water for free! (Los Angeles Times)

  
  

• Looking back on Plastic Free July®, an NPR producer described her attempt to cut out plastic for a week and shared challenges, lessons learned, and practical advice for reducing plastic consumption any time of the year. One takeaway: Planning ahead is key.

  
  

• Is your backpack reusable? How about your shoes? The Guardian points out how "reusable" has become a ridiculous selling point.

  
  

• Underconsumption core is one trend on social media that's worth a follow. An antidote to hyperconsumerism, it celebrates the things we already have. (Apartment Therapy)

  
  

• House Digest serves up underconsumption core inspiration featuring 17 household items that can be repurposed for extra closet storage and organization.