March 2022

Disposal of food packaging is a major cause of environmental pollution worldwide. More than 350 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and 85% of the garbage dumped in the oceans is plastic, according to estimates. Brazil is the fourth-largest producer, accounting for some 11 million metric tons per year. To make matters worse, most plastic packaging is derived from non-renewables such as petroleum.

Despite research and policy efforts, recycling initiatives have skidded on more complex materials like tires and mattresses, filling dumps and natural land across the country. ow, Northwestern University researchers have used simple chemistry to address long- standing barriers associated with recycling about a quarter of today’s plastics.

By utilizing repurposed rubber from end-of-life tires manufacturer Apollo Tyres has created the playing surface for two new eco-friendly artificial soccer fields located in Chennai and Pune, India. Each field measures 160 x 90ft and uses around 1,500 shredded tires to create 7,500kg of crumb rubber which is used for the playing surface. This layer results in a safer, higher quality playing surface. By reusing the discarded tires Apollo hopes to encourage the next generation of upcoming talent.

Differences in the processing characteristics of two such commonly used resins as HIPS and HDPE show why it is difficult to build a screw that works equally well with both. Someone recently asked me about “universal” extrusion screws: “What’s the hold-up? Why can’t there be one screw design to run all polymers?” To many people “plastics” are all the same. But, in fact, different plastic types can have very different processing properties.

A large amount of R&D is happening in the active/antimicrobial food packaging film space. Here is a quick overview of some of the many projects showing promise.

Following research into the factors affecting domestic fresh product waste, WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has released a new report that reveals ‘significant opportunities’ in which both food waste and plastic packaging can be reduced.

U.K.’s University of Birmingham which has announced that it recently licensed the rights to a ‘supercritical water’ technology to Stopford to develop a novel process for recycling mixed plastic packaging. Such a process reportedly delivers a greater proportion of high value recycled plastic with less emissions, fewer processing steps than current recycling methods, and no solvent residues.

First of all, no plastic is 100% pure when it goes into the extruder. All of them have additives — some are obvious, like colorants, and some are invisible, like light stabilizers that keep the Sun’s ultraviolet rays from breaking the molecules and discoloring or weakening the plastic. Since no plastic is 100% pure, knowing it contains an additive is immaterial. What matters is knowing how much additive it contains.

Shoppers at any of the major supermarket chains here can expect to pay at least five cents for each disposable bag, regardless of material, they take from around the middle of next year.

Nestle (M) Bhd has marked a new milestone in its efforts to drive plastic waste collection and recycling, with today’s signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Alam Flora Environmental Solutions Sdn Bhd.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is on a three-day official visit to Thailand, said he and his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan o-cha both hoped that the third ministerial-level Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting could be held as soon as possible.

Environmental group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines asserted on Wednesday the importance of pushing for a new global treaty on plastic pollution in the upcoming United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) 5.2. “In the Philippines, we are working with the DENR [Department of Natural Resources] very closely, especially for this whole UNEA 5.2 process,” said Francesca “Ina” C. Guingona, WWF’s No Plastics in Nature policy officer, at the virtual roundtable.

China will participate in international efforts to combat plastic pollution and build on its existing policies to cut waste, the environment ministry of the world’s top producer said on Wednesday, a week before talks on a new global plastic pact.

Hoping to inspire more Thais to recycle plastic waste, two local companies have teamed up to make Buddhist amulets by using nine types of recyclable materials ranging from plastic bottles to nylon fishing nets.

The rubber and rubber products export is expected to increase to RM140 billion this year compared with RM71 billion in 2021 and RM49.2 billion in 2020, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said.

The price of rubber remained upward trend as there is a steady demand by China and Kyat devaluation against the US dollar continues, according to rubber traders. The prices of Local 3 and Ribbed Smoked Sheet 3 varieties which is highly demanded by China hit above K1,100 per pound on 11 February.

In February 2022, Thailand released new government incentives for its electric vehicles (EV) industry as part of its ambitious plan to transform 50 percent of its total auto production to EVs by 2030 and become a production base for cleaner vehicles in Southeast Asia. The new incentive package includes significant exemption in import duty and excise tax for a wide range of EV models, not to mention previous subsidies announced in February.