Around the world, over 25 million acres of farmland is seasonally covered with opaque plastic films used as “mulch” to prevent weeds, retain moisture, and warm soil—a practice known as ...

Using plastic sheets for weed control, even under current best management practices, pollutes soil with macro- and micro-plastics and negatively affects critical soil functions, according to a study.

Each year, on our fruit-and-vegetable farm in New England, my family covers about a quarter of our 50 acres with plastic mulch. Rolls of it, five feet wide and 4,000 feet long, sit on a machine ...

are plastic sheets that are spread over the soil to serve as a sort of plastic mulch. They suppress the growth of weeds, increase fertiliser uptake, regulate temperature and humidity, and protect ...

They were washed in with the tide, most likely from China or the US, thousands of miles away -- part of an enormous plastic garbage patch, spinning in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which you ...

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 ...

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 ...

Over 20 million tons of plastic are estimated to end up in the environment every year, with much of it breaking down into microplastics that are harmful to the health of humans and wildlife.

Other choices: Paper and cardboard, mixed compost from your yard, landscape fabric, plastic mulch, shredded rubber, rocks — the list goes on when it comes to materials that can be used as mulch.

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 ...

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 ...