logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
34m 57s

Plastic (not so) Fantastic

BBC News
About this episode

A closer look at the UK’s single-use plastic problem

We dive into the UK’s use of single-use plastics. Where’s it coming from? Where’s it ending up? And what needs to change? We speak to our Science Editor, David Shukman and TV presenter Julia Bradbury, who wants us to dump the plastic… just not in Turkey.

And Boris Johnson is continuing to urge caution when it comes to the Indian variant and says the government is keeping close tabs on cases in areas like Bolton and Bedford. We speak to Professor Anthony Harnden, Deputy Chair of the JCVI about vaccine hesitancy and if we’re still on track to for the next stage of lockdown easing.

This episode of Newscast was made by Emma Close with Alix Pickles, Georgia Coan, Maz Ebtehaj, Emma Crowe and Rick Kelsey. The editor is Dino Sofos.

Up next
Yesterday
Why Is It So Hot?
Today, as the UK faces the third heatwave already of the summer - is this the kind of summer we should expect in future?Adam is joined by Jordan Dunbar, one of the hosts of the Climate Question podcast and Sarah Keith-Lucas lead weather presenter for the BBC. They discuss when ho ... Show More
31m 33s
Jul 10
Another Plan To Stop The Boats
Today, the UK and France have unveiled a new “one in, one out” plan to reduce small boat Channel crossings. Announcing the deal at the end of Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK, Keir Starmer said migrants arriving on small boats will be returned to France, in exchange for as ... Show More
34 m
Jul 9
What Can The Government Actually Afford?
Can the government afford everything it wants to do?Adam is joined by BBC economics editor Faisal Islam and BBC health editor Hugh Pym to discuss the news that resident doctors, who used to be called junior doctors, have announced strike dates for later this summer. The governmen ... Show More
41m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2017
Is it Time to Ban the Plastic Bottle?
Every single second, 20,000 single-use drinking bottles are sold around the world. That is more than a million pieces of non-biodegradable rubbish produced every minute. And as demand grows in developing economies, so will the mountains of waste, with much of it ending up in the ... Show More
23m 35s
Nov 2018
Why We Fell In Love with Plastic
Plastic waste and pollution have become a global problem but is there any sign of a global solution? And how did we allow this to happen in the first place? Materials scientist and broadcaster, Professor Mark Miodownik, explores how we fell in love with plastic, why we've ended u ... Show More
26m 28s
Jun 2024
Microplastics are everywhere. What can we do about it?
With every breath you take, you could be inhaling microplastics. Today, we talk about where they come from, how they impact our health and what we can do to avoid them in our daily lives. Read more: For years, scientists on the hunt for microplastics have found them almost everyw ... Show More
21m 15s
Oct 2023
Comment se débarrasser du plastique ?
En 2022, le monde a produit 500 millions de tonnes de plastique. Et si on continue sur cette trajectoire, ce sera deux fois plus en 2060. Plus fou encore : la moitié des plastiques qui existent dans le monde ont été fabriqués depuis l’an 2000. En une vingtaine d’années tout juste ... Show More
46m 10s
Apr 2022
Hey, Groomer
Emily, John and David discuss Russia’s war crimes; Disney’s reaction to “don’t say gay”; and Amazon’s first union. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Andrew Exum for The Atlantic: “The Russian Military Has Descended Into Inhumanity” Noam Scheiber for The Ne ... Show More
1h 10m
Oct 2021
IMF leadership scandal clouds annual meetings
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comhttps://www.ft.com/content/4ce62a29-5401-4fa1-8af4-20e892e50fe8 Divisions between the US and Europe over whether Kristalina Georgieva should remain in her post as IMF chief are set to overshadow the fund’s flagship annual meetings this w ... Show More
10m 47s
Apr 2023
The Americast News Feed
Scrolling through the biggest stories in America right now. With Fox News forced to defend its editorial standards, Donald Trump attacking “pudding fingers” Ron DeSantis and a conservative beer boycott spilling over, the Americast team take a few of this week’s most talked about ... Show More
43m 36s
Feb 2023
Adani scrambles to reassure investors
Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell said on Tuesday that reducing inflation would take a “significant period of time”, Turkey declared a state of emergency in areas ravaged by the region’s worst earthquake in decades, and the FT’s John Reed explains how allegations of stock manipula ... Show More
8m 56s
Feb 2023
Aliens Or Air Balloons?
As a growing number of flying objects are shot down in US airspace, the Biden administration is still trying to explain just what’s going on...and even fielding the odd question about aliens. Why are Americans so obsessed with extra-terrestrials? Meanwhile, on ground level, many ... Show More
38m 58s