some of the plastic can lose quality during the recycling process. 31% are made into trays like this. one quarter of them are made into fabric or polyester. trays and fabrics are not recycled as often. the economics are to blame here because right now, it's cheaper to make new plastic than to recycle it. even if manufacturers want to make products from recycled plastic, right now, there just isn't enough of it. oil companies are banking on the fact that we'll keep using new plastic. in the coming decade, plastic production is not going to go down. it's just going to increase. the us is actually at the top of the list, they are planning huge expansion in the petrochemical production over the next decade, and so is china. there are two much more simple ways to avoid plastic waste. that is to reduce and reuse. and it's possible.

coca—cola is the world's top plastic polluter according to an audit by break free from plastic. it says it wants to be a leader in finding solutions. and, in brazil, it's been piloting a refillable plastic bottle scheme since 2018. and it says it saves 200 million bottles a year. but 460 million tonnes of new plastic is being produced every year. at this rate, it will be a long time before recycling can catch up to it. now it's time for a look at the weather with lucy martin hello. broadly speaking today is a day of sunny spells and showers, the showers in the west this morning pushing east as we go through this afternoon. we have high pressure towards the south—west, low pressure in the north, blustery across scotland, northern scotland today, temperatures generally in the mid to

high teens, low 20s, as we go through tonight, showers fade away across england and wales, a flow of showers carried in on the wind across scotland, northern ireland, northern england. temperatures sitting at an overnight low of eight to 13 celsius. tomorrow, a band of cloud across northern england and wales which could bring isolated showers, going south quickly, sunny spells coming through behind it. scotland, northern ireland, northern england, one or two showers, fewer showers than today, windy in the north and temperatures a maximum of 23 celsius. this is bbc news — i'm frankie mccamley — the headlines. six new claims of inappropriate behaviour by former deputy chief whip chris pincher have emerged — days after he was suspended as a tory mp after allegations he groped two men.

russia says it now controls the whole of the luhansk region in eastern ukraine — but ukrainian officials say they can't confirm the reports. thousands of residents in australia's largest city — sydney — have been ordered to evacuate their homes after torrential rain and flash flooding. the influential british theatre director, peter brook, who's career ranged from radical interpretations of shakespeare to broadway musicals, has died at the age of 97. now on bbc news...it�*s the travel show. this week on the show. i am in mexico to discover how a river clean—up is getting on, and meet this little local. this is so incredible! simon's here with tips on how to carry on travelling despite the cost of living crisis. i'm travelling by train through germany, on what i regard as the best rail deal ever.

and a day trip to a thai prison anyone? this week, i am in the ancient wetlands of xochimilco in the south of mexico city, a unesco world heritage site and one of the country's must see destinations. this sprawling network of canals was first built by the aztecs and stretches over 180 kilometres. not surprisingly, the area now attracts masses of tourists every year.

check out all of these amazing boats. they are so colourful. these are called trajineras. i am here to meet carlos diaz, one of the best tour guides in town. but this isn't your typical sedate trip along the river. i was honestly expecting to go on a quiet little boat ride, but this place is a realfiesta. we are stuck in a trafficjam of like ten different boats. tourist boats, shop boats. singing. floating band boats. there's a mariachi! mariachi music plays.

sings in spanish. this is unreal. sings in spanish. woohoo! applause. away from the joyful chaos, i want to talk to carlos about life on the canals. that's if i can keep us dry, of course! how important is tourism to xochimilco?

how has the area changed in that time? i mean, having grown up here in this area, how do you feel when you notice all these changes? but the problem is much bigger thanjust tourism.

these wetlands are the lungs of mexico city, and provide the capital with around a third of its drinking water and a huge amount of food. professor rodriguez—vasquez has been monitoring this pollution, and it is pretty plain to see why this situation is getting worse. this isn't the most beautiful spot in mexico city, is it? yeah. can you tell me exactly just how badly the water is contaminated here? it is very highly contaminated with pathogens, chemicals, pesticides, hormones and human waste also. wow. yeah. and here we have a lot of places like this. so this is not the only drain like this in mexico city. no, no, no, we have a lot. wow. not only does this pollution contaminate the water, but the dangerous pathogens can also

evaporate into the air and be absorbed into the crops that are grown in the wetlands. you know, the moment you leave behind the super busy embarcaderos of xochimilco, it feels like you enter a completely different world. there is so much wildlife here, so much greenery, it's just so serene. but even out here in the more remote areas of the wetlands, the pollution is endangering one of mexico's most iconic animals. the strange looking but much loved axolotl. what's so special about these little creatures?

i can't believe this is happening. i'm about to hold an axolotl! oh, my god, it is so smooth, it is so lovely, it's like holding a baby! the axolotl is not only endemic to mexico, its population is limited to these wetlands. and the worsening pollution is threatening its very survival. this is the most incredible thing i have ever done in my life. 0k, put him back! thankfully, the conservation project armando runs here has been a great success, and as a result axolotl numbers are now increasing across the wetlands.

armando�*s work is brilliant, but to fully restore the area to its former glory, ultimately the pollution needs to be tackled. luckily, my friend professor rodriguez—vasquez mayjust have identified a simple but effective solution. in a rather basic looking lab in the wetlands, her team have invented a system that produces tiny bubbles called nano—bubbles, which can be pumped into the polluted water. how does the science behind this actually work? yeah. we create the nano—bubbles with solar energy, so these nano—bubbles can attack or can

destroy the contaminants. as well as tackling the pollution, these nano—bubbles also help to oxygenate the water, breathing life again into the waterways. honestly your lab looks, everything here looks pretty simple. yeah, it is very simple. it is very cheap, and also very easy to manage. that is the best kind of technology, right? when it is simple, straightforward, accessible and sustainable. exactly, sustainable. and what's even more encouraging is that this simple but effective technology can be used on trajineras, so the tourist boats can be a part of the solution in the fight against pollution. that's the button that starts it all? all right, let's do it! ready? yeah. you can see the nano—bubbles. oh, it's working! that's so cool! it's amazing to think that this

piece of tech is actually cleaning the canals as we speak. amazing, hey? what these projects across the wetlands hopefully show is that with a bit of creativity and collaboration, tourists can play a key role in helping to maintain stunning places like this. and that's got to be good news. and if you're planning a trip here anytime soon, here's a few things to think about.

in western mexico, the world's largest gathering of mariachi bands will come together on 30 august to kick off a two—week festival dedicated to the country's most traditional folk music. the celebrations will begin with a huge parade through the city of guadalajara where mariachi bands from as far away as japan will all play together. you can expect workshops, lectures and plenty of inescapable impromptu performances throughout the city for the duration of the festival. if you prefer the calm of the ocean, why not explore the second largest barrier reef in the world? the mesoamerican barrier reef runs along the caribbean coastline of the yucatan peninsula and is home to 66 species of coral, several hundred species of fish, as well as sea turtles, dolphins and whale sharks. remember though, reef environments are fragile to human impact, so be sure to dive with a responsible provider.

for six days from 14 october, some of the world's finest classic cars will be covering over 3,000 kilometres on a route from 0axaca to durango for la carrera panamericana. celebrating its 35th year, the pan—american race is one of the most important and longest road rally type races in the world. it used to be dubbed the most dangerous, but safety standards have come a long way in recent years. and of course if you are in mexico on 1—2 november, then you won't be able to avoid one of the country's guest event. more commonly known as the day of the dead, or dia de los muertos, the national holiday honours the deceased and many believe that on this day, the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves, and so relatives often spend the night by the graves of their loved ones. stay with us, because still

to come: simon has some cost—saving travel tips. if you are flying, then try to travel with cabin baggage only. and thailand opens its prison doors to tourists. so don't go away. hello and welcome to this month's guide. well, summer is here and many of us are desperate to get away. but with rising costs and tricky travelling, the prospect can be off—putting. after some scenes of airport chaos, airlines have trimmed millions of seats from their planned summer schedules, causing fares on some popular routes to soar. so, consider going by sea. britain has excellent ferry links to france, spain, the netherlands and ireland.

there is loads of capacity this summer and you can get some really good rail sale deals, such as about £40 one—way from many british stations to ireland — and you get a generous baggage allowa nce. if you are flying, then try to travel with cabin baggage only. i managejust with this, and it meets all known airline rules. you won't need to queue up to check—in, there is no chance of your bag being sent to the far side of the earth, and no need to wait around at the carousel at the far end when you should be beginning your adventure. best of all, you'll save cash. and choose your day of travel carefully. for holiday flights, saturday and sunday are in strongest demand with friday and monday also busy. tuesday and wednesday are likely to see the lowest fares and the thinnest crowds. many viewers have been in touch

about car rental rates. yes, they are higher than ever this summer. during the pandemic, many car rental firms sold off their fleets and now, they cannot get enough vehicles to match demand. so, choose somewhere with excellent public transport to stretch your holiday budget. along spain's costa blanca and costa del sol, as well as the portuguese algarve, there are excellent coastal railways with frequent trains and subsidised fares making them excellent value. almost anywhere in asia, from eastern turkey to singapore, public transport is cheaper, more reliable and safer than self—drive. choose the train when you can, such as the amazing line through uzbekistan, paralleling the silk road from bukhara to samarkand and on to the capital tashkent. if you are on the road, simply choose the highest category

of coach you can afford. america is in love with the highway but increasingly, the cities have reliable public transport connections such as the brightline link from miami via fort lauderdale and soon opening all the way to orlando. and long—distance buses are making a comeback with one firm promising a private jet experience on the four—hour run from washington to new york city. this summer, i'm travelling by train through germany on what i regard as the best rail deal ever. in the entire month ofjuly or august, you payjust nine euros for a ticket, taking you anywhere in the country on all but the fastest trains. the ticket is also valid on city transport, meaning you can experience the amazing dangling tram of wuppertal — the closest public

transport gets to a theme park ride. to stretch your holiday funds the furthest, though, swap the med for the baltic beaches of eastern europe. a trip to the coast of poland, lithuania, latvia or estonia is surprisingly affordable. and the black sea coastline of romania and bulgaria also offer outstanding value. going west, canada is significantly cheaper than the us, though in both nations, remember, you are now expected to tip 20%. for further fun adventures, wait until later in the year for tropical sun at affordable prices. two favourites of mine are the beaches and heritage of kerala in southern india and the long—time backpacker favourite vietnam. airfares in november in the uk are barely half what they are in peak summer. well, i hope some of those ideas

have stimulated your travel appetite, whether you are hoping to warm up or cool off this summer. where there is a will, there is a way. good luck. thanks, simon! 0k, next up, we're off to thailand where the government is slowly turning some of its prisons into tourist attractions. rayong central prison, close to the capital bangkok, one of the first to open and we've been given special permission to go along and film there to check out what tourists can expect to see.

thailand has traditionally treated prisons as no—go areas. they're not terribly sanitary, they're usually overcrowded. i think that the department of corrections wants to be seen as, you know, joining a wider coalition of government agencies encouraging tourism, encouraging people to come back to thailand. they're certainly going to have to somehow improve conditions in some ways — at least on the surface — but the question is whether anything really changes.

well, that's it for this week, but coming up next time — we're in sydney as its most iconic landmark celebrates its 90th birthday. never gets old. this is amazing. and we hear about its role in bridging the gap between australia's different communities. more australians are supporting that the aboriginal flag sits atop of the sydney harbour bridge.

if you can't wait for that, check us out on social media. search bbc travel show on facebook and instagram and look for the little blue logo. until then, from the chaos of xochimilco, safe travels and i'll see you very soon. bye— bye! hello there. temperatures are set to rise through the coming week, particularly across the south and south east. but, first of all, through today, we are looking at a mixture of sunny spells and showers. the weather watcher photos show the contrast in conditions nicely. this photo sent in from the highlands, blue sky and sunshine overhead in this photo sent in earlier from east sussex. now we take a look

at the pressure chart. we have low pressure the north, so quite blustery breezy conditions across scotland through today. and high pressure building into the south so we have got a scattering of showers and a north north westerly flow through this afternoon, particularly for eastern areas, temperatures generally sitting in the high teens, low 20s. as we go through tonight, it will stay fairly blustery across the far north of scotland in particular. we will see a feed of showers and rain pushing in across scotland, northern ireland, eventually getting into northern england and northern wales. elsewhere, a largely dry picture with patchy cloud and clear spells. temperatures fairly similar to where they have been of late, sitting at around eight to 13 celsius. tomorrow we start off with this band of cloud which could bring one or two showers across northern england and northern wales. it slips fairly quickly southwards through the morning. sunny spells following on behind. sunny spells and showers for scotland, northern ireland and northern england, but fewer showers than today, but it does remain fairly blustery. across the far north. temperatures at a maximum of 23 celsius.

high pressure continues to edge its way fairly slowly in as we move into tuesday. but we have that weather front still toppling around the top of it. so tuesday, some early brightness but it will turn cloudy as we go through the day. the best of the brightness to be found in eastern and southern areas. showers or spells of rain, drizzle for north and western areas. temperatures generally in the high teens, low 20s, a maximum of 23 celsius. as the week continues, you can see high pressure continues to gradually edge its way in but weather fronts never too far away from the far north. always breezy conditions and the greater chance of seeing wet weather here. if we take a look at temperatures, how close to average they are, temperatures dropping off across europe but picking up above average across the uk. so if we take a look at the outlook temperatures picking up across the south, getting up to 26 celsius on saturday. around average further north. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, i'm samantha simmonds. the headlines at 2pm: six new claims of inappropriate behaviour by former deputy chief whip chris pincher have emerged, days after he was suspended as a tory mp after allegations he groped two men. russia says it now controls the whole of the luhansk region in eastern ukraine, but ukrainian officials say they can't confirm the reports. thousands of residents in australia's largest city sydney have been ordered to evacuate their homes after torrential rain and flash flooding. the influential british theatre director peter brook, who's career ranged from radical interpretations of shakespeare to broadway musicals, has died at the age of 97.