The European Union produces more than 2.5 billion tonnes of waste every year. It is currently updating its legislation on waste management to promote a shift to a more sustainable model known as the circular economy.

Production has started on a range of sustainable LEGO® elements made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. The new sustainable LEGO ‘botanical’ elements will come in varieties including leaves, bushes and trees.

Car tyres are a major global waste problem. Collectively we drive 1.5 billion tyres to the end of their useful lives every year. Blake McFarland primarily uses recycled rubber tires to create amazing life-like human/animal sculptures.

Crafting plastics! studio is an interdisciplinary team focusing on material and design research. By offering design concepts and prototypes, as well as our 100% oil-free and compostable material – a new generation of bioplastic emerges.

According to their website, Full Cycle PHA is produced naturally by bacteria using mixed organic waste as raw material.

Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering came up with a bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells. It’s made from chitosan, a form of chitin - the second-most abundant organic material on Earth.

After almost four years of development, Mondi and Werner & Mertz will introduce a new, patented innovation in 2019: a 100-percent recyclable pouch with detachable decorative panels.

Making all plastic packages recyclable by 2030 is among the goals of a new strategy the European Parliament is examining. The new measures will help European countries reduce the amount of plastic waste they still produce and limit its devastating impact on our environment, climate, health and economy.

British artist Ptolemy Elrington turns old hubcaps into animal-like sculptures called 'Hubcap Creatures'.

In the United Kingdom, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London published their State of the World’s Fungi 2018 report that references studies showing that fungi can speed up the breakdown of plastic waste and are optimal feedstock for biofuels, building materials, and other uses.