Veronika Wild

Controversial ‘forever chemicals’ could be phased out in Australia under new restrictions. Here’s what you need to know Shutterstock Sarah Wilson , University of Technology Sydney and Rachael Wakefield-Rann , University of Technology Sydney There’s growing global concern about potential risks to human health and the environment from a group of industrial chemicals commonly known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals”. While the full extent of harm from PFAS is still emerging, the fact these chemicals persist in the environment and accumulate in the body is alarming enough. Some scientists believe they will never break down . Until now, Australia has not restricted the trade or use of most PFAS chemicals. But that’s about to change. The federal government intends to stop the import, manufacture and use of some types of PFAS within two years. We want to raise awareness and encourage industry to be proactive about finding alternatives. T...

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA I’ve been watching the latest and third series of Craig Reucastle’s War on Waste. I don’t know if overseas readers will be able to watch ABC iview outside Australia, but Australians should definitely check it out here . Here are just a few of the highlights and lowlights in case you can't. Although this is mainly about Australia, there are many ideas which could easily be applied elsewhere. Recycling Episode I is about recycling. There are now apparently some of those automatic deposit dispensers for bottles and cans in large cities such as Sydney, but there is also ongoing disappointment over the fact that we can no longer recycle the ubiquitous soft plastics which supermarkets were taking back last time. On that front – not mentioned in the story, more products are coming in stronger Ziplock bags which keep food fresher and can be reused or even recycled, but we also seem to be getting more plastic, not less. Just t...