Top Research Papers on Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is now pervasive in the Arctic, even in areas with no apparent human activity, such as the deep seafloor. In this Review, we describe the sources and impacts of Arctic plastic pollution, including plastic debris and microplastics, which have infiltrated terrestrial and aquatic systems, the cryosphere and the atmosphere. Although some pollution is from local sources — fisheries, landfills, wastewater and offshore industrial activity — distant regions are a substantial source, as plastic is carried from lower latitudes to the Arctic by ocean currents, atmospheric transport and ...

A comprehensive approach is needed that combines technology, policymaking, and advocacy to prevent further plastic pollution and the subsequent damage to aquatic ecosystems and human health and the goal of this study was to address this gap.

The open burning of plastic wastes is a practice that is highly prevalent across the globe, toxic to human and environmental health, and a critical—but often overlooked—aspect of plastic pollution. Most of the countries where such burning is widespread have laws and policies in place against it; open burning continues nevertheless. In this article, using data from ethnographic fieldwork in urban and rural sites in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Zambia, we examine local practices of open burning and investigate why regulations to tackle it have proven largely ineffective. Adopting a har...

The field of polymer science recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. The excellent material properties of a wide range of plastics (generally used as a synonym for polymers) have opened many new opportunities in lightweight packaging, agricultural fields for improved crop production, cosmetics, detergents, and more advanced applications, among many others. During the journey of polymer science, various topics have attracted particular attention because they have promised technological advancements or new challenges relevant to the needs of the time. Each has led to intense research, develop...

The current status of plastic pollution in the marine ecosystem is demonstrated to make aware people of a plastic-free, healthy blue ocean in the near future and development of proposals/solutions on key research gaps can open a novel pathway to address this environmental issue in an effective scientific manner.

The conclusion is that BPs may be a part of the solution to solve the global plastic pollution through BPs, and the effectiveness in providing environmentally solutions for plastic waste management depends on the combination of affordable waste classification technologies and investment in organic waste treatment facilities.

Evidence of plastic ingestion by 206 freshwater species, from invertebrates to mammals, in natural or semi-natural ecosystems is found, and other consequences of synthetic polymers in freshwater ecosystems are reported.

It is identified that human commensal birds, long-life-span birds, and model bird species could be utilized to different research objectives to evaluate plastic pollution burden and toxicological effects of chronic plastic exposure.

Coral reefs are losing the capacity to sustain their biological functions 1 . In addition to other well-known stressors, such as climatic change and overfishing 1 , plastic pollution is an emerging threat to coral reefs, spreading throughout reef food webs 2 , and increasing disease transmission and structural damage to reef organisms 3 . Although recognized as a global concern 4 , the distribution and quantity of plastics trapped in the world's coral reefs remains uncertain 3 . Here we survey 84 shallow and deep coral ecosystems at 25 locations across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian ocean ba...

Plastic production is an essential part of the world economy that has mushroomed exponentially with c.9.2 billion tonnes estimated to have been made between 1950 and 2017. Now, each year c.8-11 million tonnes of plastic waste escapes into the oceans. Plastic usage is varied but the packaging industry accounts for 47%. Recycling and the circular economy are seen as keys to unlocking the plastic problem, for example, via the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme; a Deposit Return Scheme. The circular economy is a fine idea and has been around a long time, but has it made any real difference? T...

This review analyzes the subject focus of 45 articles (published 2019–2021), dealing with government action to regulate plastic pollution. Policies described in the articles and introduced between 2016 and 2021 are clustered in four categories: production – consumption – disposal – circular approaches. Our results show that most published articles deal with bans on single-use plastic (SUP) items in one or more countries. While SUP bags are still the most regulated items, there is a growing number of regulations on other SUP items, such as Styrofoam products or microbeads. While policies and re...

The rational response to the global threat posed by accumulating and poorly reversible plastic pollution is to rapidly reduce plastic emissions through reductions in consumption of virgin plastic materials, along with internationally coordinated strategies for waste management.

Brand names can be used to hold plastic companies accountable for their items found polluting the environment. We used data from a 5-year (2018–2022) worldwide (84 countries) program to identify brands found on plastic items in the environment through 1576 audit events. We found that 50% of items were unbranded, calling for mandated producer reporting. The top five brands globally were The Coca-Cola Company (11%), PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%), and Altria (2%), accounting for 24% of the total branded count, and 56 companies accounted for more than 50%. There was a clear and strong log...

Unsustainable plastic production, use and mismanagement has resulted in increased global plastic pollution and subsequent degradation into micro(nano)plastics in the environment threatening sustainability. Micro(nano)plastic pollution is pervasive and has caused widespread ecological impacts globally, including greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Although downstream strategies to curb plastic pollution exist, they are ineffective in the face of current plastic production and waste generation which is still outpacing existing regulations. Thus, the international community ...

Assessment of three broad management strategies, plastic waste reduction, waste management, and environmental recovery, at different levels of effort to estimate plastic emissions to 2030 for 173 countries found that 19 to 23 million metric tons, or 11%, of plastic waste generated globally in 2016 entered aquatic ecosystems.

Biodegradable plastics are promising alternatives to conventional, persistent plastics. In this opinion article, we discuss the benefits of biodegradable plastics in combination with appropriate disposal systems. We argue that the most beneficial environmental value of biodegradable plastics is in the areas of packaging, single-use items, and agricultural plastic mulches. While biodegradable plastics need to be an integral component of strategies to minimize plastic pollution of the environment, they have to be used and managed with specific end-of-life scenarios. Disposal in the environment, ...

Researchers are studying how more-sophisticated policies, smarter recycling and new materials could stem the tide of waste. Researchers are studying how more-sophisticated policies, smarter recycling and new materials could stem the tide of waste.

To avoid a massive build-up of plastic in the environment, coordinated global action is urgently needed to reduce plastic consumption; increase rates of reuse, waste collection, and recycling; expand safe disposal systems; and accelerate innovation in the plastic value chain.

This Perspective aims to place nanoplastic in the context of global plastic pollution by assessing its sources and risks, and by assessing commonalities nanoplastics may share with other nanosized objects in environmental systems.

Along 24 beaches of the Central Caribbean Coast of Colombia, plastic items were collected and grouped into 43 different typologies, suggesting a combination of sources that primarily include dumping and direct activities on the beach.

The present analysis develops a common ground between studies and identifies knowledge gaps where new research efforts should be focused, to better determine potential feedbacks of plastics on the carbon biogeochemistry of a changing ocean.

Abstract Increasing plastic waste is a critical global challenge to ecological and human health requiring focused solutions to reduce omnipresent plastic pollution in the environment. While recycling has been touted as one solution to counter plastic waste and resource utilization, it has been largely ineffective in offsetting the impact of rising global plastic production of more than 400 million metric tonnes annually, due to low global recycling rates of only 9%. Over three decades since implementing plastic resin codes, recycling has favoured thermoplastics, neglecting thermoset plastics. ...

A framework is developed to aid in device selection by water and waste managers, which highlights the need for a watershed assessment, an understanding of site conditions, the attainment of community buy-in, and a long-term maintenance plan.

Plastic usage is increasing the number of pollutants in the environment. Plastic particles and other plastic-based pollutants are found in our environment and food chain, posing a threat to human health. From this perspective, the biodegradable plastics material focuses on creating a more sustainable and greener world with a smaller environmental imprint. This assessment should consider the entire life cycle assessment of the objectives and priorities for producing a wide range of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics can also have properties similar to traditional plastics while also...

The increased global demand for plastic materials has led to severe plastic waste pollution, particularly to the marine environment. This critical issue affects both sea life and human beings since microplastics can enter the food chain and cause several health impacts. Plastic recycling, chemical treatments, incineration and landfill are apparently not the optimum solutions for reducing plastic pollution. Hence, this review presents two newly identified environmentally friendly approaches, plastic biodegradation and bioplastic production using algae, to solve the increased global plastic wast...

Plastic usage increases year by year, and the growing trend is projected to continue. However as of 2017, only 9% of the 9 billion tons of plastic ever produced had been recycled leaving large amounts of plastics to contaminate the environment, resulting in important negative health and economic impacts. Curbing this trend is a major challenge that requires urgent and multifaceted action. Based on scientific and gray literature mainly published during the last 10 years, this review summarizes key solutions currently in use globally that have the potential to address at scale the plastic and mi...

An inverse relationship exists between coastal geomorphic type, plastic trapping efficiency and the mass of plastic received, and this allows us to better understand the environmental fate of plastic pollution, to advance numerical models and to guide managers and decision-makers on the most appropriate responses and actions to monitor and reduce plastic pollution.

This review summarizes concepts, mechanisms, and other factors affecting the degradation process in seawater of several biodegradable polymers or polymer blends and is believed that this selection will help to further understand and drive the development of seawater‐degradablepolymers.

Current challenges and factors hindering efforts to mitigate plastic pollution are identified to inform the presented recommendations while underscoring the exigency of finding sustainable solutions to plastic pollution that not only encompass existing challenges but also future threats presented by plastic pollution.

It is demonstrated that plastic particles are bioavailable for uptake into the human bloodstream and whether or not plastic particle exposure is a public health risk.

This perspective article lays out some key considerations and recommendations for moving forward with respect to both research and action on the issue of plastic pollution.

Fibres from clothes laundering are the main source of primary microplastics in oceans and Fibres contribute up to 90% total plastic mass in wastewater treatment plants.

It is argued that an integrated, global monitoring system for plastic pollution is needed to provide comprehensive, harmonized data for environmental, societal, and economic assessments and to deliver knowledge to support public policy and corporate contributions to the relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

People's knowledge and understandings of microplastics; the role of media in framing perceptions and socio-cultural dimensions to popular solutions to reduce single-use plastics are explored; and science communicators, NGOs, industry and policy makers must take account of media representations and the culturally embedded nature of plastics in society.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reemphasized the indispensable role of plastics in our daily life. Plastics in terms of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other single-use medical equipment along with packaging solutions owing to their inherent properties have emerged as a life-savior for protecting the health and safety of the frontline health workers and the common citizens during the pandemic. However, plastics have been deemed as evil polluter due to their indiscriminate littering and mismanagement amid increased plastic usage and waste generation during this unprecedented crisis. This art...

This study examines the knowledge, use, disposal and local consequences of single use plastics in remote island communities in two archipelagos of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia and suggests that for such coastal communities improved waste disposal is urgent.

How various MPs and NPs, and associated toxic chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), impact human health is emphasized.

It is found that the use of plastic mulch can indeed increase crop yields on average by 25%-42% in the immediate season due to the increase of soil temperature and moisture, but the unabated accumulation of film residues in the field negatively impacts its physicochemical properties linked to healthy soil and threatens food production in the long term.

There has been an exponential interest in the occurrence and potential ecotoxicological consequences stemming from the growing prevalence of (micro)plastics in the environment. This has been especially evident by the increasing concern regarding the visible effects on marine ecosystems, with multiple local, regional, and trans-national initiatives developed toward the mitigation of what has been construed as an environmental disaster. However, it is not clear what the benefits – if any – of the multitude of norms, regulations, laws and recommendations that have been proposed and/or implemented...

Marine plastic pollution has emerged as a global threat to our oceans. Although several instruments have been developed at the international level, the global governance of marine plastic pollution is still affected by several weaknesses. The article explores some of these weaknesses and attempts to define areas for action: harmonisation of international laws; coherence across national policies; coordination of international organisations; and science-policy interaction. The article presents the problem of marine plastic pollution and focuses on the policy response in place at the internationa...