Autumn News 2026

Your Good News Stories for Autumn 2026

Some news stories to help you & the planet feel better!

1) Plastic from seaweed resin

Companies are looking at ways to use seaweed as an alternative to plastic & to slow down deforestation. A Welsh start up company ‘Plant Sea’ uses seaweed infused paper to reduce the amount of virgin wood pulp. 

The sea weed is also incorporated into plastic free film; this breaks down without micro plastics which could be useful for dishwasher or laundry capsules. 

https://plantsea.co.uk/

Seaweed acts as an excellent carbon capture which could be farmed to help with alternative packaging as well as capture the carbon at the same time!

Video below describes the durability of seaweed following a company in America

For some other companies utilising sea weed head on over to https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2024/04/seaweed-an-eco-alternative-to-single-use-plastics-packaging-004526/#

2) Reducing ships carbon emissions with lime pebbles

A London based company ‘Seabound’ has developed an interesting carbon capture system. They convert exhaust fumes from ships into limestone by flowing these fumes through quicklime pebbles. The limestone with CO2 captured can then be stored or sold on as required!

More info can be found at:

https://www.positive.news/science/technology/shipping-has-a-big-carbon-footprint-can-this-lo-fi-solution-shrink-it/

3) Stop floating plastic in the sea by 2040

The team at ‘Ocean Clean Up’ plan to clean up 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040 using barriers that scoop up plastics as it goes. The Great Garbage Patch (reported in a previous post) is being cleaned up (which along with smaller clean ups in rivers will help prevent plastics making it out to sea).

By 2026, 50 million kg of trash has been collected so far according to their timeline. They have been able to repurpose some of that plastic - one of the interesting projects was to use plastic salvaged from a river near Guatemala city, which was used to produce a Coldplay LP!

https://www.positive.news/environment/young-inventor-plans-to-stop-90-of-floating-sea-plastic-by-2040/

Some links to eco friendly vinyl:

https://pressonvinyl.com/ / https://www.normanrecords.com/eco-vinyl / https://atlasrecords.co.uk/blogs/all-about-vinyl/what-is-eco-vinyl

4) Gilbert the plastic eating robo fish!

The University of Surrey have created a plastic eating robot fish called ‘Gillbert’. Designed to swim through water eating up microplastics.

About the size of a salmon this 3D printed fish even has a tail to help steer it. Artificial gills help to guide water through mesh filters which trap the particles. The robo fish have been tested in lakes with the aim to make larger versions in the future.

https://ecoservantsproject.org/this-robo-fish-eats-microplastics-and-may-help-save-our-oceans/

Also check out this eco bot helping to cut back water pollution in the video below:

5) Seabed life triples after bottom trawling ban in Scotland

Scientists in a marine reserve, South of Arran, found life on the seabed increased significantly after a trawling ban was placed 10 years ago. 

In a sample they recorded more than 1,500 organisms in around 100 litres of sediment. This equates to three times more seabed organisms and twice as many species compared to nearby waters.

https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/seabed-life-triples-after-bottom-trawling-ban-in-scotland-protected-area/

6) Ocean plastic clean-up for Commonwealth games Glasgow

There was a target of one million plastics to be cleared up from waterways in Commonwealth areas before the Commonwealth Games July 2026. This was reported by Positive News in June 2026, when 625k pieces of plastic had been collected.

On checking the Commonwealth Games website they have now made their target of a million. A job well done!

https://www.positive.news/environment/the-commonwealth-games-relay-taking-aim-at-ocean-plastic/ / https://www.commonwealthsport.com/kings-baton-relay/plastic-clean-ups

7) Deforestation rate is reducing – at last!

A new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showed that deforestation has slowed in every region of the world over the past decade with more than half of forests now covered by long-term management plans. More work is needed to decrease it further.

https://www.positive.news/society/good-news-stories-from-week-44-of-2025/

8) Restoring England's wildlife (selection of funds)

💚 A new campaign has been kick started by DEFRA called 'Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife'. As part of this campaign, Natural England have pledged £90m in Apr 2026. 

£60m over 3 year period will fund a 'Species Recovery Programme' with a further £30m going to the National Forest. This will help reintroduce threatened species, protect against habitat loss plus support & restore our native woodlands.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/largest-ever-government-investment-in-threatened-species-recovery

🌳 A Community Fund has been pledged to help plant 500,000 trees by March 2030, with an additional monetary boost to local Mayors to help support nature & climate protection within their local community.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/local-communities-to-receive-79-million-to-restore-nature

🦅 Meanwhile, the government also pledged £1m for the reintroduction of Golden Eagles in England with juveniles set to be released in the North of England next year. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/iconic-golden-eagles-to-make-comeback-in-england 

9) Green bridge over A3 for wildlife

A new heathland bridge designed for safe animal crossing has been built over the A3 in Surrey which will connect two rare heathland areas. Funded by the National Highways, the 98ft wide bridge will also include a path for walkers, cyclists & horse riders to enjoy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24zw8ye57o

10) Building society launches savings account to aid Marine Conservation

In June it was announced a new savers account at Ecology Bank will be launched where 1% will go to marine projects supported by the charity Sea Changers. 

For information on the ‘Sea-Changers Impact Saver’ account go to:

https://www.ecology.co.uk/hub/new-partnership-ecology-savers-support-marine-conservation/ / https://www.sea-changers.org.uk/

If you are looking for other good ethical accounts try the pointers below at:
https://good-with-money.com/2026/06/24/top-9ethical-savings-accounts

⛄ A Christmas gift idea ⛄ 

For children - The Green Planet: For young wildlife-lovers, inspired by David Attenborough's series on BBC Earth (ages 6-9) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Planet-wildlife-lovers-inspired-Attenboroughs/dp/1405946687

For adults – A Wilding Year Gift Book by Hannah Wrendale of Wrendale Designs https://www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk/pre-order-a-wilding-year-gift-book

Check out more on Hannah’s work in re-introducing 

beavers & kingfishers into her wildlife area
https://www.wrendaledesigns.co.uk/wildwrendale

🍁

For other book ideas go to: 

For adults: https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2019/12/plastic-free-books.html 

Children: https://www.lovelierplanet.com/2020/01/eco-friendly-books-for-children.html

Items for sale in our store:

https://www.lovelierplanet.com/p/for-sale.html

Posts from Christmas Past:
https://www.lovelierplanet.com/search?q=christmas

🍁 Have a great Autumn/Winter - see you again soon! 🍁

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Beware of Hidden Plastics

The Hidden Danger of Plastics

All around us are plastics, we cannot fail to notice. But what we can’t see are tiny little microplastics which make their way into our food chain, water & even the air we breathe.

Even makeup and face washes contained micro beads which have been banned thankfully. Micro fibres during a clothes wash can also be a huge unseen problem. 

Below I have listed some of the sources of hidden plastics, some which may surprise you such as in tap water & car tyres. It does make for stark reading. 

It was watching hard hitting documentaries that triggered me to start this blog, so seeing the hard truths can help trigger positive change. 

I hope some of the items listed below will give you food for thought..

Sources of Hidden (Micro) Plastics.

Drinks – a study by Dr. Noam van der Hal found that cows milk contained 10 to 200 particles of microplastics per sample. When he went to the dairy & sampled the milk, he found far less particles within the dairy collection tank. Dr. Noam concluded that the bottling process itself leaches plastics into the product.

Another study looked at contamination of soft drinks, cold tea & energy drinks - it was found that microplastics were detected in 48 out of 57 samples. 

Tea Bags – folks didn’t realise that tea bags contained plastics until a gardener noted that tea bags in his compost heap refused to break down fully. This is caused by polypropylene being used to seal the bags, keeping in the tea without them coming apart during a hot dunking.

Following subsequent news reports, consumers began to put pressure on tea bag companies to change their products to become more eco friendly. I wrote an article on these hidden plastics in tea back in 2019.

Some companies have improved their products since my article above - maybe check out the website of your fave tea company, to check on how they’re doing to emit plastics from their products.

Tap Water – A study reported that 83% of tap water samples from major cities around the world contained plastic fibres. In the UK, 72% of samples were found to have micro fibres, whereas in the US, numbers were much higher at 94%.

Bottled Water - Research from State University of New York examined 250 bottles from nine worldwide countries & found plastics hiding ‘in bottle after bottle and brand after brand’. There were typically 10 plastic particles found, per litre of bottled water.

Chewing Gum – In ancient times the chewing gum was plant based, usually from sap, tree resins & bark that Native Americans, Early Europeans & Mayans/Aztecs used to chew on as a breath freshener.

Modern day chewing gums may contain plastics in their gum base as well as polyisobutylene, a type of rubber found in inner car tyres. This is why you see wads of gum sticking (quite literally!) around for years & years.

There are biodegradable alternatives available, see the link below for some ideas. https://www.treehugger.com/is-chewing-gum-biodegradable-5187955

Glitter – glitter can often contain plastic but some may not be aware. I found this article quite useful to learn a little more. https://moralfibres.co.uk/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-glitter/

Toiletries – Microbeads (small insoluble particles) have been used as exfoliators in cosmetics & toiletries. These are solid plastic particles less than 5mm. It was realised that these microbeads can run off into oceans & be ingested by fish & sea mammals causing potential harm to the environment & wildlife.

Cosmetics Europe recommended that by 2020 all products containing microbeads should be phased out. Many companies have been switching to alternatives such as tapioca, seaweed, silica & corn.

In 2018, the UK government placed a ban on products containing microbeads being sold in stores. These included toothpastes, shower gels, face scrubs & soaps.

The government website stated that 'just one shower alone was thought to send 100,000 microbeads down the drain and into the ocean, causing serious harm to marine life.'

Sadly there will be many beads out in the environment already swirling around in the seas & waterways, but at least action has been taken to prevent more being produced in the UK.

Clothes – fabrics can often be made up of polyester or acrylic. Washing of clothes releases thousands of microfibers into the waterways. These may not be picked up during filtration leading to contamination of tap water or be leached out into rivers & streams.

Prof Richard Thompson at Plymouth University found that on average, a 6kg wash load could release 140,000 fibres from a polyester-cotton mix or more than 700,000 fibres from acrylic. Dryers can also carry fibres into the air creating a source of airborne microplastic pollution.

Tyres – A report commissioned by Friends of the Earth found that vehicle tyres are the biggest cause of microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes & oceans in the UK. 

A recent study in Norway found that the average car tyre loses 4kg in its lifetime. 

Tyres contain about 20% natural rubber with the rest being made of synthetic materials containing plastic polymers. 

Another worrying ingredient is the use of carbon black - sourced from fossil fuels, it is used to blacken the tyres for resistence to UV light but is also reported to be non biodegradeable & possibly carcinogenic.

Fragments of plastic & synthetic rubber from tyres & brake pads can be kicked out onto the roads. Due to their tiny size they are easily picked up & carried by wind into streams, drains & rivers. The Norway study found particles can remain airborne for a whole month.

Nurdles – so what are nurdles I hear you ask! These are tiny plastic pellets that are often melted to make larger items. They are in effect the primary source of virgin plastic & transported by cargo to foreign countries still in its small pellet form.

Cargo spillages during bad storms can cause nurdles to be dumped out into the oceans. Due to their small size & light weight, they can often drift on top of the current & be carried out by tides to large expanses at sea, even as far as the arctic circle.

Fish & sea birds mistake them as food as they are similar in size to fish eggs. An accumulation of the microplastics can lodge in their guts, causing blockages & malnutrition.

Spillages can also occur during transfer by trucks to factories which can cause run off into drains & rivers, so the problem can be very widespread indeed.

This charity is looking for nurdle hunters to identify the full extent of the problem. Check out the site above for more information & if you can help, why not join the search for nurdles at your local beach.

Rainwater – Researchers studied rainwater & air samples in 11 protected areas in the Western USA over 14 months - they found that over 1,000 metric tons of microplastic fragments fell into these areas each year. 

This is the equivalent to over 120 million plastic water bottles (or 8 blue whales in weight). 

North Pole – Nanoplastics (smaller than a micrometre) have now been found as far away as the North & South poles. A chart about half way down this page shows they are so small they may even cross the blood-brain barrier.

Meanwhile, the top of Everest has been found to harbour microplastics – analysts found samples rife with thin, curly fibres of microplastic. Humans have quite literally left their mark in all sorts of places.

And who can forget the images of polar bears scavenging for food covered in plastic bags? Researchers in Alaska found a shocking 25% of polar bears had plastics lodged in their stomachs. 

Human Beings – A small study of 22 healthy volunteers in the Netherlands found traces of plastics in 17 of the blood samples taken. 

The most common plastic was polyethylene terephthalate (PET) usually found in drink bottles & fabrics, whilst the second most common was polystyrene used in takeaway food containers such as Styrofoam. The third was polyethylene used in paints, plastic wrap, sandwich bags & detergent bottles.

Here is another article on plastics affecting the human body – this is not meant to depress us, but is meant to open all our eyes to the problem we are all facing!
 

Did you know that humans have produced 18.2 trillion pounds of plastic since the 50s (equal in size to 1 billion elephants)? 

It’s hardly surprising that humans are ingesting & breathing in microplastics, but it is a concern that blood samples also contain plastic too. A stark reminder of how much damage we have done to ourselves & our planet.

We are resourceful beings & we need to come together to find solutions & act quickly – this planet is far too beautiful to waste.

Thank you for reading! 🌍

Check out our Positive News Stories to pick up the mood..

Review - Charcoal Water Filter

This is my 18th review on plastic alternatives in my bid to reduce 50 plastic items this year. Hope you enjoy! 

Scoring system: 

❤ = Will keep, I love it / 👀 = Not sure, will try some more / 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me

Review Eighteen - Black & Blum Charcoal Water Filter

I know what you're thinking - why on Earth would someone trying to reduce plastics need a water filter - surely tap water would do? After all, it's plastic free AND is supposed to be just as good as bottled water according to some studies. 

My gripe with tap water is down to two things - one is I hate the taste and smell of chlorine. My senses are super strong and it literally hits me with the smell. We also have exceptionally hard water in our area leading to limescale. 

For years we've been using Brita water filters. It does seem to help somewhat with scaly kettles and I haven't noticed chlorine smells. Of course these are encased in plastic containers, which made me want to look for alternatives. 

Brita filters can be recycled, although our local Argos (a previous collection point) had moved and we weren't sure where to take the used up cartridges. So when I came across the Black & Blum charcoal filter in Ethical Superstore I thought I'd give it a try.

My review

I used the Black & Blum charcoal filter inside our Brita jug, filled it up and left it overnight. The advice is to leave it for 8 hours for good effect. 

It says on their site that it can help with water softening and chlorine. 'Binchotan is an active carbon made from tree branches and is renowned for its ability to soften water, add good minerals and absorb unwanted tastes and odours, such as chlorine.'

After just two weeks I'd noticed limescale building up in the kettle after a very short time. I also noticed occasionally a chlorine smell and a slight film was appearing on the water. 

The product can be used for up to six months (boil after the first three months) however we decided after the first three months that we'd go back to using Brita cartridges.

So sadly the experiment didn't work for us, so I score this an 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me!

On a good note, we found where we can recycle our Brita cartridges - Argos had moved into Sainsbury's and the recycling point had been moved there, close to the Brita jug section, so any Brita filters we do use we continue to send off for recycling. 

There's a video on how Brita cartridges are recycled on their site.

If you prefer bottled water, Highland Spring have one available in a glass bottle or sometimes I use Harrogate water which is made using a 50% recycled plastic bottle.

If you're in an area where water is not exceptionally hard, or smell strongly of chlorine then tap water is perfectly fine!