Top Research Papers on Plastic Pollution

ABSTRACT In the last decade, plastic pollution has emerged as a major global issue in public discourse. Nonetheless, there is little consensus on which aspects of plastics constitute the problem. In India, litter, unmanaged disposal, lack of biodegradation, wasteful resource use, threats to bodily integrity and the natural order, and national dishonour are all variously associated with ‘plastic pollution’. What exactly, then, does the term reference when used in various streams of public discourse, and what semantic transformations does this imply? Using India as a case study, I examine discou...

Abstract: Plastic pollution is one of the fastest growing environmental challenges of our time. Since the 1960’s, various concerns were raised regarding plastic waste generation (Plastic pollution) around the globe. Everyday tons of plastic waste is generated in various cities across the world. Since the 1950’s close to half of the plastic is ended up in landfills or dumped in the wild which is one of the most common ways of disposing plastics, and only 9% of plastic has been adequately recycled. It is also estimated that around 4 to12 million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans...

With the fourth highest population and an ever-growing rate of plastic consumption, Indonesia is the second largest plastic polluter in the world (McCarthy, 2018). The country, which has only had plastic since the latter half of the 20th century, has staggeringly high rates of plastic waste which becomes pollution due to various factors. This paper examines the factors that go into why the rates of plastic pollution are so high, what people know about it and what is being done to help combat the problem. The four main topics explored are: laws, disposal methods, education and tourism. The stud...

As the content of the paper draws up on the theme “Beat the Plastic Pollution”, it focuses more on the current understanding and the concerns surrounding the issue of widespread use of plastic especially the single-use plastic. The annual global production of plastic is 300 million tonnes with roughly 50% disposed of after a single-use. Accumulation of plastic products are adversely affecting the animal habitats and as well as humans by polluting the environment. Pollution is everywhere which is killing us, from the highest reaches of our atmosphere to the darkest depths of our oceans. But tog...

Given that there has been no legislative action on plastic pollution, advocates are turning to litigation to hold a variety of defendants—producers, transporters, manufacturers, and government officials—accountable for the harms associated with plastic. This article analyzes five lawsuits involving plastic pollution. This litigation has produced some favorable outcomes: Settlements have been reached, claims have proceeded, permits have been suspended, and waters have been reclassified. The most recent litigation, however, sounds in public nuisance, and commentaries from industry professionals ...

The aim of this paper is to analyse plastic marine pollution, alternative solutions, the role of relevant actors and the effectiveness of these actions in resolving ocean pollution. First, the paper breaks down plastic marine pollution into its main causes, actors, and effects. It highlights how human activity is pushing the world’s oceans to the brink of collapse. After this brief introduction aimed to better understand the possible actions against this problematic, the study provides an overview on international legislation and multilateral initiatives that have been proposed all over the ye...

Abstract: Nowadays, plastics are increasingly being used in our daily life activities, including the packaging in different food and brewing companies, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and other production sectors need to pack their end products for efficient and safer product's delivery to the community. Plastics are produced through the biochemical process of polymerization or polycondensation. The post-use of generated plastic waste has many adverse impacts on the environment if not processed and managed in a proper way. This review aims to discuss the lifecycle of plastic products according to t...

The problem of plastic pollution is complex. There are some suggestions and views related to this plastic pollution. Microalgae species used to synthesize bioplastic. In Thailand there are 3 main obstacles Thailand’s government, private sector, and citizens from engaging in the sort of collective action needed to reduce marine plastic pollution. In Spain, a revision of European and Spanish legislation about plastics and marine pollution is needed and some strategies to reduce this kind of contamination in Spain. In Canada, recommendations to strengthen Single Use Plastic (SUP) management strat...

The paper presents activities and results from the „Marine and River Litter Elimination, New Approach - MARLENA” project. The project emphasized the issue of water waste, the value of biodiversity and environmental protection, involving citizens in river and coastal cleaning campaigns and sharing good experiences in the field of pollution reduction and elimination. Funded under the Black Sea Basin Operational Program 2014-2020, the project is part of the European Union’s Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) within its European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) and was carried out simultaneously in a num...

Plastic pollution is currently one of the biggest environment concerns. The name "Plastic" refers to the property of plasticity. Which is the ability to deform without breaking (Anne Marie Helmestine, 2018). Environmental pollution by plastic wastes is now recognized widely to be a major environmental burden (Rochman CM, Browne M.A. Halperu B.S. et. al. 2013). In India, official statistics says that the country generates about 26000 tones of plastic waste daily and 80 percent of the total plastic consumption is discarded as waste where 40 percent are not collected. Plastic represents one of th...

Since the 1950s, the production of plastic surpassed the production of almost every other material. If the trends in plastic production - and oil consumption - continue at its current rate, estimates are that by 2050 there will be about 12 billion tonnes of plastic litter in the environment and the plastic industry will be responsible for 20% of the world’s total oil consumption. Globally, management of the increasingly large quantity of plastic waste has been challenging, with only 9% of plastic being recycled and almost 80% of plastic being either dumped, disposed in landfills or littered in...

Abstract. One of the most pressing environmental issues facing the world right now is plastic waste. Once in the environment, plastics continuously degrade into microplastics, which are fragments of plastic. There are more national and international promises to reduce microplastic pollution as the world's plastic production rises. National governments are increasingly banning single-use plastic products or imposing taxes on them. Consider the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Environment Assembly Resolutions on Marine Litter and Microplastics, and Addressing Single-Use Plastic Products...

Comparisons with plastic particles found in these species at Gough Island showed that small particles were under-represented in skua pellets, which caused underestimates of plastic loads in prey species, uarticularlv in small birds (storm-petrels) and other biases resulting from the use of skua pellet indicators as indicators of plastic pollution in seabird.

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...

Abstract The discharge and dumping of plastic debris into the world's oceans has become an increasingly serious form of marine pollution in recent years. To counter such practices, a number of international agreements containing specific prohibitions against dumping plastics into the marine environment have been promulgated. The 1972 London Dumping Convention, Annex V to the MARPOL Convention, and the 1978 MARPOL Protocol cite plastic pollution as unlawful in international waters. Though not yet in force, particular provisions mandating protection and preservation of the marine environment in ...

Policy makers and advisers should sternly follow the steps: never throw plastic bags on roads; always carry bags from home; and, use paper decorative items rather than of plastics as paper can be reused.

The environmental impact of shipping on marine environment includes discharge of garbage. Plastic litter is of particular concern due to abundance, resistance to degradation and detrimental effect on marine biota. According to recently published studies, a further research is required to assess human health risk. Monitoring data indicate that despite banning plastic disposal at sea, shipping is still a source of plastic pollution. Some of the measures to combat the problem are discussed.

Plastic is a single word for a multifaceted reality, encompassing a wide variety of polymers and additives with different chemical and physical properties. The end products range from single-use plastic bags, food wraps and plastic bottles, to fishing lines, buoys, and synthetic fibres used in the clothing or fishing industries.As the use of plastic is pervasive, so is plastic pollution. An estimated 10 million tonnes of plastic leaks into the ocean each year, causing an unprecedented environmental crisis. Measuring or forecasting this issue is a complex and challenging task, due to technical ...

Plastic has poses a massive contamination problem for the environment, especially in the aquatic system where it is difficult to monitor.This study is hoped to be a first step towards better understanding and addressing mainly the micro-plastic pollution problem in different aquatic systems. By integrating the literature study with the laboratory experiments of the plastic pollutants, I expect this work will provide valuable insight into determining the influence of the plastic to the environment, and that it will also offer a starting point for stakeholders, and society more broadly, to devel...

Seabirds in the order ProceUariiformes are most vulnerable to the effects of plastic ingeshon due to their smaller gizzard and their inability to regurgitate ingested plastics.

High-resolution spatial and temporal data are reported that provide evidence of both global and regional microplastics transport, thus increasing the understanding of the microplastic cycle.

Ubiquitous marine plastic pollution has become a prominent ecological issue, as it provokes implications that threaten marine species, induces health concerns, and causes vast economic damages. The complex dynamics behind its pervasive occurrence are multipronged and multidimensional, and simple clear-cut causal chains cannot always be identified. Analytical appraisals aiming to advance the understanding of pervasive plastic pollution need to address these complexities and acknowledge the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems. Orthodox economic analyses have insufficiently addres...

A review is presented of the manufacture and use of different types of plastic, and the effects of pollution by these materials on animal, human and environmental health, insofar as this is known.

Plastic pollution has become a pressing environmental problem. An increasing mass of plastic products ends up in oceans and landfills. One international grassroots organization—the Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF)—tries to influence politics and policies of governments and businesses that can be held responsible for this pollution. In Michiel Roscam Abbing’s recent book Plastic Soup Atlas of the World, the current problematique of plastic pollution is presented from a broad perspective and in a highly accessible way. This article’s main objective is to investigate, first, what can be learned from...

: Microplastics are a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that can potentially pose a threat to both aquatic organisms and to human health. Prevention methods are pivotal to microplastic mitigation, and new trends are emerging, that include a growing industry of alternative materials. Bioplastics and biodegradable products are emerging as a possible solution to mitigate pollution from petroleum-based single-use and limited-use items. The paper presents findings on the occurrence of plastics and microplastics in aquatic systems, on the composition and biodegradability of bioplastics, and on the p...

A large amount of plastic products end up in the oceans as plastic waste. Plastic parts break down into a considerable amount of microplastics that affect marine biota. The effect of plastic particles on marine biota is analyzed and a short overview of the amount and dimensions of plastic particles in the world’s oceans are given herein. This paper deals with the connection between waste streams and the calculated distribution of plastic concentration in the oceans. Using an oceanographic model of floating debris dispersal this was estimated at a minimum of 5.25 trillion plastic particles in t...

―Plastic are high molecular weight organic polymers which can be moulded into desired shapes by the application of heat and pressure‖. Plastic waste is a major environmental and public health problem in India, particularly in the urban areas. Plastic shopping or carrier bags are one of the main sources of plastic waste in our country. Plastic bags of all sizes and colours dot the city ̳s landscape due to the problems of misuse and overuse and littering in India.

Abstract Non-Technical Summary Plastic harms ecosystem health and human livelihood on land, in rivers, and in the sea. To prevent and reduce plastic pollution, we must know how plastics move through the environment. Extreme events, such as floods, bring large amounts of plastic into rivers around the world. This article summarizes how different flood types (excessive rainfall, high river flow, or floods from the sea) flush or deposit plastic pollution, and how this impacts the environment. Furthermore, this paper also discusses how improved resilience to floods is important to prevent and redu...

Research and policy interest in questions of environmental waste is growing, especially plastic bag pollution. Where trash disposal and recycling are not highly regulated, the proliferation of plastic bags has created dramatic social and environmental consequences. In this article, we draw on 30 interviews with women who sell goods in markets in Mali as an entry point into investigating this issue through the interrelated dimensions of identity, gender, globalization, and the environment. We find the choices of women become suspect and blamed for this environmental issue despite their having f...

Accumulation of plastic products in the Environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans is a major concern for the governments now. Plastic Pollution occurs in many forms, including but not limited to littering, marine debris (man-made waste that has released in a lake, sea, ocean, or water way), plastic particle water pollution, plastic netting and friendly Floaters. A large percentage of plastic produced each year is used to make single-use, disposable packaging items or products which will get permanently thrown out within one year. Often, consumers of the various t...

Today, we all are living in a PLASTIC ERA .With the advancement of technology in our life; we had developed a 'use and throw' culture which is becoming a serious problem for our planet. Nowadays, many of the daily usable items are either completely made of plastic or their major part is made of plastic. And we people are continuously using it without worrying about its drawbacks .It is very dangerous for our environment. Its production emits many harmful chemicals which create air pollution and on using this, the waste is discarded to environment whether by throwing into rivers or oceans or in...

Focus: To comprehend that plastic pollution is a major problem and is having an impact on oceans everywhere. These impacts are seen on beaches and shorelines and all the way to the deepest places in the ocean. Learning objectives: In this activity, pupils will gain an appreciation for the extent of plastic pollution in and around oceans. They will start to understand how plastic pollution can have a negative impact on life below the surface of the sea. Key words: Ocean pollution, plastics, microplastics.

"White pollution" is a world-spread question.Developing degradable plastic is one of the most important measures to control "White pollution".The main point of this paper is to describe the situation of world degradable plastic and reviewing the prospect of biodegradable plastics.

Plastic is a material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compound that are malleable and so can be construct into solid objects. For more than 50 years, global population and consumption of plastics have continued day by day. Due to their, ease of manufacture, versatility, light weight, flexibility, moisture resistant, strong and comparatively less expensive product. Plastics are used in multiple product of different scale such as toys, bags, furniture‟s, piping or plumbing, etc. it is frequently used in developing as well as developed countries, where con...

Studies of isolated stretches of shore line have indicated that pollution due to plastic packaging is a result of the deposition of sea‐borne waste. The waste is primarily a by‐product of international commerce and not, as is commonly assumed, due to the irresponsibility of the casual visitor. Indications are that the common packaging plastics vary markedly in their resistance to environmental breakdown. Low density polyethylene which is used for agricultural sacks, wrapping film and detergent bottles survives unchanged for many years, whereas high density polyethylene which is used for bleach...

Plastics, including microplastics, have generally been regarded as harmful to organisms because of their physical characteristics. There has recently been a call to understand and regard them as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. This review elaborates on the reasons that microplastics in particular should be considered as “toxic pollutants”. This view is supported by research demonstrating that they contain toxic chemicals within their structure and also adsorb additional chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs...

Synthetic organic polymers—or plastics—did not enter widespread use until the 1950s. By 2015, global production had increased to 322 million metric tons (Mt) year−1, which approaches the total weight of the human population produced in plastic every year. Approximately half is used for packaging and other disposables, 40% of plastic waste is not accounted for in managed landfills or recycling facilities, and 4.8–12.7 Mt year−1 enter the ocean as macroscopic litter and microplastic particles. Here, we argue that such mismanaged plastic waste is similar to other persistent pollutants, such as di...

The management of plastic waste is a global problem which currently lacks a global solution. As one of the highest per capita producers of household waste in the developed world, New Zealand has a key role to play in addressing the plastics crisis at multiple levels of governance. This article analyses the various policy options available to the New Zealand government and offers a series of recommendations, including prioritising policy and investment at the top of the waste hierarchy (refuse, rethink, redesign, reduce and reuse); linking plastic waste to toxicological risk and commitments to ...

Abstract Nowadays, wide applications of plastics result in plastic waste being present in the water environment in a wide variety of sizes. Plastic wastes are in water mainly as microplastics (the size range of 1 nm to < 5 mm). Microplastics have been recognized as an emerging threat, as well as ecotoxicological and ecological risk for water ecosystems. In this review are presented some of the physicochemical properties of plastic materials that determine their toxic effect on the aquatic environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are mentioned as one of main sources of microplastics int...

(2010). Plastic Bags and Environmental Pollution. Art Education: Vol. 63, No. 6, pp. 39-43.

Plastic pellets are widely distributed in the ocean all over the world and finally end-up on the beaches. They have been observed in many locations in the world. Since they float they are in contact with organic pollutants while in the sea. They are hydrophobic organic materials and thus they are a favourable medium for persistent organic pollutants to absorb to. They are used in the present study to determine the diffuse pollution of Kato Achaia beach, Greece. Samples of pellets were taken from the beach. The pellets were extracted and PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, and PAHs were measured. The main points...

The current situation and development trend of the pollution caused by plastic materials, recent research progresses and difficulties in its control are discussed in detail. Some countermeasures are also proposed based on the analysis.

Ambon has problems with plastic pollution, both in the rivers and the bay. Due to faults in the waste system, 60 tons of waste is not collected in Kota Ambon. This waste ends up in illegal landfills, the waste is burned or thrown in the water. The plastic pollution in the bay contributes to the global problem of plastic soup. Research was conducted based on question; which recommendations can be given to collect the floating plastics in the rivers around Ambon Market by using the litter traps. To answer the main question, sub-questions are drafted covering the sources of pollution, possible lo...

How has global plastic waste disposal method changed over time? within the chart we see the share of worldwide plastic waste that's discarded, recycled or incinerated from 1980 through to 2015. Prior to 1980, recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible; one hundred pc was therefore discarded. From 1980 for incineration, and 1990 for recycling, rates increased on the average by about 0.7 percent per annum.

The representative plastic race track and playground are selected as research targets,the compositions of main pollutants of irritant gases around plastic cement race track are analyzed with GC-MS monitor.Under the different climate conditions,the comparative analysis of heat pollutant of different types of playgrounds is developed.The countermeasures and suggestion about construction and use of plastic cement race track are put forward.

Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Spain) grant numbers CTQ2016-76608-R and BES-2014-069473; University of Alicante (Spain) grant number UAUSTI10-06.

The threat of plastic pollution has escalated to unprecedented levels, with particular concern surrounding microplastics (MPs) and artificial fibers or particles (AFs) due to their wide distribution across ecosystems and their bioavailability to wildlife. Although research on the impact of plastic on wild birds is rapidly growing, knowledge of terrestrial species remains limited, especially regarding raptors, which have been significantly understudied. Here, we investigated the prevalence of MPs and AFs in regurgitated pellets from six protected terrestrial raptor species, namely the Cinereous...

This good practice case study is part of a series of knowledge products developed by the SEA circular project to showcase exemplary market-based solutions that bring about transformational changes in the way plastic is managed in the value chain. This series captures circular economy approaches, ranging from innovative business models to behaviour change initiatives, to address plastic pollution. These approaches form part of the SEA circular project’s “circularity framework for the plastic value chain”.

ABSTRACT Seemingly overlooked causes of inefficiencies in environmental fiscal reforms (EFRs) on plastic waste management are biased tax policies, which include indirect subsidization of plastic waste. With most developing countries grappling with plastic waste, it is paradoxical that they allow considerable tax exemptions on plastics, thereby ignoring the potential environmental damage caused by plastic pollution. This study investigates whether tax elasticity of plastic demand incentivizes unnecessary plastic consumption and subsequently plastic pollution, while accounting for the effect of ...

My daily routine consists of walks, reading and hobbies. The walks and readings motivated me to write about a continuing global problem, municipal solid waste (MSW), especially plastic. Below I discuss the harm caused by plastics in the oceans and what we might do about it. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.