Before you do anything else, go tell USDOT that safe bicycling infrastructure means safer roads for all users. Plus, BuzzBallz and their polluting packaging; the global plastic treaty falls through (thanks, American Chemistry Council); Lagos targets single-use plastics; and the EPA is hiding risky chemical operations from the public.

Speak Up for Safer Streets: Tell USDOT What Fairfax Needs – Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, August 16, 2025

Today, August 20, 2025, is the deadline to make your voice heard on the importance of funding safe and suitable bicycle transportation infrastructure. Tell USDOT that when we create roads and travel corridors safe for bicycles, we make them safe for everyone. It only takes a minute to send a message – and US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy just aired his view that the next federal transportation reauthorization bill should not prioritize bike lanes at the expense of cars.

‘They’re not chic!’ How did BuzzBallz become the undisputed drink of the summer? – The Guardian, August 19, 2025

BuzzBallz, the sugary flavored alcopop drink invented in the US in 2009, is having a moment in 2025. The drinks come in globular single-use plastic bottles. In the UK, the drinks are especially popular among Gen Z. One enthusiast remarked, “‘People litter them a lot, so you see them around,’ says James. ‘It’s actually really good advertising. They’re everywhere.’” Although BuzzBallz say they are packaged in “100% recyclable” PET plastics, in reality, the containers are not readily recyclable through most municipal waste management streams. Litter, needless to say, is NOT good advertising – in fact, it has begun garnering lawsuits for several food and beverage giants.

Failure of talks for plastic treaty turn focus back to reduce, reuse, recycle. How’s that going? – AP News, August 15, 2025

The US (with strong nudging from the American Chemistry Council) and other petrochemical states scuttled treaty negotiations in Geneva last week when representatives from the world’s nations met to hammer out a treaty to deal with our plastic pollution problems. Without any coordinated plan for waste management or production caps, the world is back where it started, trying to handle the flood of plastics produced constantly. Spoiler alert: making more plastic makes more plastic; we’re not going to recycle our way out of the problem.

One of the world’s most polluted cities has banned single-use plastics – ABC News, August 13, 2025

Lagos, Nigeria passed a ban on single-use plastics last month, outlawing the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, plastic cutlery, plates, and straws. The city struggles with managing its plastic waste, which mostly ends up as environmental pollution in roadways, fields, and waterways. The ban is a step in the right direction, but implementation and enforcement remain major challenges.

Before A Steel Plant Exploded, Trump’s EPA Hid Risks From The Public – The Lever, August 12, 2025

Last week, a U.S. Steel plant in Pittsburgh, PA exploded, killing or injuring 10 people. It wasn’t the first time that plant had had a chemical accident. Other facilities continue to fail and experience hazardous accidents around the country. The EPA agency tasked with chemical and safety oversight, the Risk Management Program, has been weakened by the current administration and such accidents have been covered up, this article reports.