Good Eco News Stories - March 2021

Good news stories from the world of sustainability

Each month we bring you some good eco news stories from around the UK and the wider world. Often in the plastic-free community we find awareness is only raised of the negatives but there are so many individuals, companies and governments making positive steps at improving our environment too. Here are our top stories from March 2021.

The first 'Forest City' is being built in China to fight air pollution

China have been leading the way with the positive news that they will be the first to build a sustainable city. A city of forests.

The new buildings and park will contain 40,000 trees, one million plants and over 100 species, helping to reduce air pollution and create a biodiversity hub. 

Tesco to launch recycling points for soft plastic

In the UK, the supermarket Tesco are set to launch a recycling scheme in store for soft plastic. These new recycling points will accept soft plastics like bread bags, crisp packets and fruit and vegetable packaging. 

Once collected they'll be sent off to be washed and repurposed into new food, beauty and household packaging. This is good news for our environment as currently lots of UK councils refuse this type of plastic, and many struggle or are unable to purchase plastic-free products.

Unwanted plastic bags are being turned in high-performance fabrics 

Move over polyester, a new fabric has been developed, made from unwanted plastic bags. This eco-friendly alternative fabric is made from polythene found in plastic bags and food packaging.

Some consider this good news as the clothing would be more environmentally friendly. It has the benefit of using less energy and water to produce than most other fabrics and could easily be recycled into new garments. 

A new recycling plant for all types of plastic has begun construction in the UK

While switching to plastic-free products can dramatically help the plastic pollution crisis, we still need to manage the plastic waste that does exist. One way could be through the new plastic recycling plant in the northeast of England. This is the first commercial scale plant that will recycle all types of plastic using high pressure steam. 

If all goes to plan, the plastic recycling system would process 80,000 metric tons of plastic waste a year.

Conclusion

While we have only highlighted a few examples of the good eco news stories from March, it is so promising to hear that different regions of the world are making moves to create a better, more sustainable world. While you can make a difference by buying eco products from a plastic-free shop, I hope this list inspires you and demonstrates that there are so many other positive things happening that you can participate in or raise awareness of. 

Are there any news stories you think we've missed? Let us know in comments.