California imposes a complete ban on plastic shopping bags at grocery stores
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law prohibiting all plastic shopping bags at grocery store checkouts, making the state the first to impose such broad regulations. The new law, which goes into force in 2026, eliminates the choice of plastic bags Read More...
Canada outlines plan to ban single-use plastic
Canada has now become a world leader in environmental policy. On Monday, it laid out its final plans and regulations on how it intends to ban single-use plastics. Federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the country recycles “only 8 percent of the plastic [Canada] throws away” and Read More...
India bans single-use plastics
India experiences worse-than-average plastic pollution with single-use plastic water bottles and containers finding their way into streets and important waterways. To rein in this pollution, the Indian government announced from the capital of New Delhi on Friday that it will be imposing a ban Read More...
How to make your home a low-waste place
The average American consumer produces just under five pounds of trash each day, adding up to around 1,642 pounds per person annually. That’s a whole lot of rubbish! So what can we do about it? You may have heard of the phrase “zero-waste,” where the idea is to let nothing you use go to a Read More...
The rise in popularity of zero-waste stores
What are zero-waste stores? Zero-waste or refill stores, specialize in products with no packaging waste and are non-harmful for the environment. A wide variety of foods and household cleaning products can be found at many of these stores, with the hope in the future that mainstream supermarkets Read More...
French ban on plastic packaging for most fruit and veg comes into force
A few months ago, we wrote about France’s ambitious plan to phase out single-use plastic packaging. On January 1st, that ban went into effect, paving the way for more sustainable and ethical consumption habits among its citizens. As part of the ban, about 30 varieties of fruit and vegetables, Read More...
This campaign wants to remove single-use plastics from the big screen
Have you ever noticed that characters in your favorite movies and TV shows tend to use a lot of single-use plastics? Whether it’s a busy professional grabbing a cup of coffee on the go or an athlete drinking out of a plastic water bottle, modern media definitely normalizes the consumption of Read More...
New Zealand will ban most single-use plastic items by 2025
While New Zealand is considered to be one of the greenest countries in the world, it is currently one of the top ten per-capita producers of landfill waste worldwide. That may soon change, however, thanks to new legislation that will ban most single-use plastics by 2025. Among the main items Read More...
Chile's single-use plastic ban will cut over 23,000 tons of waste annually
In a major win for environmentalists and marine ecosystems, Chile has passed a plastic regulation bill that would cut the country’s plastic waste by over 23,000 tons per year. Among other things, the new law will take aim at reducing plastic waste in the food industry and will also introduce a Read More...
How the kulhad, a relic of India’s past, can help eliminate single-use plastic
Traditional clay teacups called kulhads will be making an impactful comeback in 7,000 railway stations across India. Kulhads are 100 percent environment-friendly, unpainted, and unglazed. The clay’s natural, earthy fragrance is said to enhance the flavor of the tea, while evoking memories of Read More...