Planet or Plastic? is National Geographic’s multiyear effort to raise awareness about the global plastic trash crisis. Come to this page often to learn more, and find out what you can do to ...

Despite global concerns over the accumulation of plastic waste, the drive to produce new plastics shows no signs of slowing down. According to OECD data, the world’s annual plastic production ...

Every time we do laundry with liquid detergents, we dump chemicals, microfibers, and gallons of water down the drain. This has detrimental effects on our environment, polluting our waterways and ...

Plastic is a really useful man-made material that has transformed our lives, but what happens after we throw it away is causing a big problem for our planet. Plastic waste can last for hundreds of ...

Scientists have developed a "self-digesting plastic", which, they say, could help reduce pollution. Polyurethane is used in everything from phone cases to trainers, but is tricky to recycle and ...

You see photos of plastic pollution in the ocean, but it can be hard to connect that to the plastic you're buying and using every day. Here are three ways the plastic you throw away can end up in the ...

Invest in a zippered fabric bag and ask the dry cleaner to return your clothes in that instead of those thin sheets of plastic, suggested the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental ...

For many of us, plastic containers are part of our daily lives; we use them to store, freeze, heat and transport a variety of different foods. But some scientists are concerned that the chemicals ...

Plastic bags start out as fossil fuels and end up as deadly waste in landfills and the ocean. Birds often mistake shredded plastic bags for food, filling their stomachs with toxic debris. For hungry ...

Despite the planet’s growing plastic pollution crisis, petroleum-based polymers have become an integral part of modern life. They make cars and airplanes lighter and more energy efficient.

A green accounting method called “mass balance” certifies that something was manufactured with recycled plastic — just not necessarily much of the bottle making the claim. By Julie Creswell ...

In 2019, an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense released a call for research projects to help the military deal with the copious amount of plastic waste generated when troops are sent to ...