Why recycling plastic may be more harmful than we realise

For most of us, rinsing out our plastics and dropping those single-use containers into our kerbside recycling seems like a worthy, if unremarkable, pursuit.But a new study suggests even recycling plastic may be doing more harm than we realise.In this week’s episode of The i Podcast, science and environment correspondent Tom Bawden and environment correspondent Daniel Capurro join host Serina Sandhu to look at how exactly we can kick our plastic habit and clean up our recycling act. From increasing its toxicity to releasing billions of microplastic particles in every cubic metre of wastewater, recycling may not be the silver bullet we once hoped.Now, ministers are set to increase a crackdown on "wishscycling", when well-meaning households drop items that can’t be recycled into their green bins.So how else can we prevent our plastic consumption from wreaking havoc on the environment and taking its toll on our health? Written and produced by Phoebe Fleming, edited by Julia Webster. The executive producer is Albert Evans.Music featured is by Michael Kobrin and Lexin Music - licensed via Pixabay.Check out their music here:https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-the-introvert-michael-kobrin-10959/https://pixabay.com/users/lexin_music-28841948/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Welcome to The i Podcast - bringing you insight and analysis on the biggest stories from the UK and beyond. Every week journalists from the UK's youngest newspaper take you behind the headlines with exclusive reports and in-depth features. i is for people with open minds - and this is the podcast to help you expand your horizons. Our commitment to you is politics without the spin. News coverage without an axe to grind. Lively opinion, so you hear different sides of the argument. Whether it's online, on the newsstand, or in this podcast, we are committed to bringing you trusted, non-partisan news. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.