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Curb ‘stupid plastics’ and stop industry BS: urgent actions to prevent a plastic crisis. The worst of microplastics is yet to come. Here’s what we need to do now to begin mitigating the wide-ranging harms. Guardian Adrienne Matei 9 July 2025 Plastic is everywhere, including our bodies. This year, various researchers found microplastics in every sample of placental tissue they tested; in human arteries, where plastics correlate with increased risk of heart attacks and strokes; in all 27 of the human testes they studied; and the semen of 40 otherwise healthy patients, adding to concerns that plastics – many of which contain hormone-disrupting chemicals – may be contributing to a global decline in sperm health. These recent discoveries add to the rapidly mounting evidence of plastic’s ubiquity and our growing understanding of the health risks it poses. It is increasingly apparent that we are in a plastic health crisis. Industry profits from products that are not safe, passing these health and economic burdens on to the public and governments. The 2023 Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health estimated that the costs of disease, disability and premature death caused by exposure to the chemicals BPA, DEHP and PBDE exceeded $675bn in 2015 in the US alone. A report from the University of Birmingham this month further links microplastics, inflammation and noncommunicable diseases.
Yet some researchers say we are actually in “the lull” before this crisis begins in earnest. In a 2024 research review about the implications of increasing microplastic pollution, the authors write “the widespread outbreak of [microplastic] pollution has not yet occurred” The currently detectable levels of microplastic pollution are “likely just the beginning”, the authors write, in part because plastic production has dramatically accelerated since the 1970s. We’re approaching a tipping point because much of the plastic waste from 20 to 40 years ago is crumbling to micro-scale.While plastics may take over a thousand years to break down completely, they can become micro-particles much sooner. For example, opening a bottle cap can release microplastics immediately, and many forms of plastic begin degrading into micro-particles within decades or even years under certain conditions. Despite a potential surge in environmental and health issues related to microplastics, we haven’t yet started reining the problem in. Global plastic production doubled from arond 230m tons annually in 2000 to 460m tons in 2019, and is expected to double again by 2040. The prognosis may be dire, but euxperts believe there are ambitious, urgent and effective ways to begin mitigating the wide-ranging harms caused by plastics. Here’s what they say.
A global cap on plastic production – with a focus on single-use plastics.....According to Dr Philip Landrigan, an anti-plastic advocate, physician and the director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College, the most “fundamental and far-reaching step that must be taken to contain the global plastics crisis is to impose a global cap on plastic production”. This would be analogous to the limits on chlorofluorocarbon manufacture imposed under the Montreal Protocol or restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions set under the Paris Climate Agreement, he says. Some plastics are essential to industries like engineering and medicine, and have an important role in daily life – but Landrigan thinks it’s important to curb what he calls “stupid plastics, which are basically single-use disposable plastic”......read on https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/jul/09/microplastics-health-crisis
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That is enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18m whales. The report arrives amid mounting concerns over the human health risks posed by the spread of microplastics, which scientists increasingly link to cancer, infertility and heart disease. “Coca-Cola is by far the largest manufacturer and seller of beverages in the world,” said Matt Littlejohn, who leads Oceana’s campaigns targeting corporate polluters. “Because of that, they really matter when it comes to the impact of all this on the ocean.” Coca-Cola ranks as the world’s top branded plastic polluter, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria, according to a 2024 study published in Science Advances. “Because of that, they really matter when it comes to the impact of all this on the ocean.” Coca-Cola ranks as the world’s top branded plastic polluter, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria, according to a 2024 study published in Science Advances. Oceana’s estimate is based on Coca-Cola’s publicly reported packaging data from 2018 to 2023, combined with sales growth forecasts to create a “business-as-usual” scenario.
The result: the company’s plastic use is projected to exceed 4.13m tons annually by 2030. To estimate how much of that plastic will reach aquatic ecosystems, researchers applied a peer-reviewed method developed by an international team of scientists and published in the academic journal Science in 2020 to arrive at the 602m kg estimate, which is equivalent to nearly 220bn half-litre bottles. For Oceana, the clearest solution to reduce this staggering figure lies in bringing back reusable packaging – whether in the form of returnable glass bottles, which can be reused 50 times, or thicker PET plastic containers, which are designed for 25 uses......read on https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/27/coca-cola-plastic-waste-in-oceans-expected-to-reach-602m-kilograms-a-year-by-2030
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Plastic planet: How tiny plastic particles are polluting our soil. UNEP 21 Dec 2021The millions of tons of plastic swirling around the world’s oceans have garnered a lot of media attention recently. But plastic pollution arguably poses a bigger threat to the plants and animals – including humans – who are based on land. Very little of the plastic we discard every day is recycled or incinerated in waste-to-energy facilities. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it may take up to 1,000 years to degrade, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water.
Researchers in Germany are warning that the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and freshwater could have a long-term negative effect on such ecosystems. They say terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution – estimated at four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment. The researchers conclude that, although little research has been carried out in this area, the results to date are concerning: fragments of plastic are present practically all over the world and can trigger many kinds of adverse effects. The study estimates that one third of all plastic waste ends up in soils or freshwater. Most of this plastic disintegrates into particles smaller than five millimetres, known as microplastics, and these break down further into nanoparticles (less than 0.1 micrometre in size). The problem is that these particles are entering the food chain.
Sewage.....Sewage is an important factor in the distribution of microplastics. In fact, between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the plastic particles contained in sewage, such as from garment fibres, persist in the sludge, says the study. Sewage sludge is often applied to fields as fertilizer, meaning that several thousand tons of microplastics end up in our soils each year. Microplastics can even be found in tap water. Moreover, the surfaces of tiny fragments of plastic may carry disease-causing organisms and act as a vector for diseases in the environment. Microplastics can also interact with soil fauna, affecting their health and soil functions. “Earthworms, for example, make their burrows differently when microplastics are present in the soil, affecting the earthworm's fitness and the soil condition,” says an article in Science Daily about the research.
Toxic effects...... In 2020, the first-ever field study to explore how the presence of microplastics can affect soil fauna was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The paper notes that terrestrial microplastic pollution has led to the decrease of species that live below the surface, such as mites, larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land. Chlorinated plastic can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, which can then seep into groundwater or other surrounding water sources, and also the ecosystem. This can cause a range of potentially harmful effects on the species that drink the water.Generally speaking, when plastic particles break down, they gain new physical and chemical properties, increasing the risk that they will have a toxic effect on organisms. And the larger the number of potentially affected species and ecological functions, the more likely it is that toxic effects will occur. Chemical effects are especially problematic at the degradation stage. Additives such as phthalates and Bisphenol A (widely known as BPA) leach out of plastic particles. These additives are known for their hormonal effects and can disrupt the hormone system of vertebrates and invertebrates alike. In addition, nano-sized particles may cause inflammation, traverse cellular barriers, and even cross highly selective membranes such as the blood-brain barrier or the placenta. Within the cell, they can trigger changes in gene expression and biochemical reactions, among other things. The long-term effects of these changes have not yet been sufficiently explored. “However, it has already been shown that when passing the blood-brain barrier nanoplastics have a behaviour-changing effect in fish,” according to the Leibnitz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries.
How do microplastics get into our water?.......One of the main sources is our clothing. Minuscule fibres of acrylic, nylon, spandex, and polyester are shed each time we wash our clothes and are carried off to wastewater treatment plants or discharged to the open environment. According to a recent study cited by Water World in 2016, more than 700,000 microscopic plastic fibres could be released into the environment during each cycle of a washing machine. This has not yet been studied in the case of handwashing, which is more common in developing countries, but the effects could be significant there as well......read on https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-planet-how-tiny-plastic-particles-are-polluting-our-soil
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Preventing Plastic Waste for entering our Oceans- Plastic Collective and SEArcular by Greencore Indonesia
The SEArcular by Greencore Project: A Sustainable Solution.....The SEArcular by Greencore Indonesia Collection and Recycling Project collects, sorts, and recycles difficult to recycle plastic materials before they can enter the ocean. Established in Surabaya, Indonesia in 2019, the project has built a network of waste pickers and local aggregators, providing essential training, fair wages, and safe working conditions. Plastic Collective is proud to announce the registration of SEArcular by Greencore under the Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard. Plastic Collective acts as an advisory partner to this exemplar project which is leading the charge to address the plastic pollution crisis in Indonesia.
Beaches, rivers, and drainage systems – Removing plastic directly from shorelines, rivers, and drainage systems in high-risk areas.
Public areas and streets – preventing plastic from entering unmanaged landfills.
Local businesses and households – creating a sustainable supply chain for plastic recovery.
Waste pickers work within a 2km radius of their homes, collecting, bagging, and sorting plastic to meet the project’s quality standards. They receive fair wages and premium prices for the plastic they collect, ensuring sustainable livelihoods while tackling the plastic crisis....read on https://www.plasticcollective.co/preventing-plastic-waste-for-entering-our-oceans-plastic-collective-and-searcular-by-greencore-indonesia/
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Here, we evaluate a global dataset with all available historical data to provide an estimate of the temporal tendencies of plastic concentrations in the global OSL. We also offer a historic overview of international policy measures to reduce plastic inputs; based on that evaluation we call for urgent and effective solutions.....read the study and report https://journals.plos.org/
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