Choose plastic-free options for everyday products Archives | The Cool Down

A river filled with trash and two workers in vests collecting debris from a pile.

Tech

In Panama, a river interceptor is stopping tons of plastic before it reaches the ocean

Colorful pieces of reflective material scattered on grass with small white flowers.

Tech

Study finds 219 tons of airborne microplastics fall onto Swiss soil and water each year

A massive amount of pollution in a river.

Tech

Panama video shows river interceptor hauling a mountain of plastic before it reaches the ocean

A young petrel seabird sitting among rocks and sea grass.

Tech

Even small bites of ocean plastic can alter seabird chick growth, study finds

A person stands behind a table with apples, rice in a bag, and a bottle of vinegar while trying to stuff plastic into it.

Food

'Plastic is inevitable': Plastic-free basics cost $30 more in viral grocery haul

A veterinary technician examines a dog while a small object resembling a toy is displayed on a blue surface.

Outdoors

California orphaned bear cub recovers after vets pull beanbag round, plastic cap from leg

A pyramid tea bag submerged in water with text about microplastic and nanoplastic particles in tea.

Food

'Premium' pyramid tea bags are just plastic mesh, and they shed billions of microplastics into your cup

Map illustrating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch's position between Hawaii, the United States, and Mexico, with garbage concentration indicated.

Tech

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn't an island — it sprawls between Hawai'i and California

Plastic pellets on a beach.

Tech

1 billion plastic pellets from English port spill reach beaches 30 miles away

Brazil's Amazon River basin.

Tech

In Brazil, even a remote Amazon park has microplastics in 8 of 10 fish

A graphic showing how micro-robots clean the ocean and soil.

Tech

Researchers steer magnetic microrobot swarms to remove 94% of microplastics from water

An asphalt road between two corn fields.

Tech

PVC boosts 'forever chemical' uptake in crops, while tire-wear particles suppress it, study finds