Seven decades of plastic flows and stocks in the United States and pathways toward zero plastic pollution by 2050

Plastics: From Revolutionary Innovation to Global Menace—Strategies for Remediation

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This review traced the history of plastic innovation to the current global pollution crisis, cataloging the scale of microplastic and nanoplastic environmental contamination and evaluating remediation strategies including microbial degradation by organisms like Ideonella sakaiensis and Aspergillus, biodegradable alternatives, chemical recycling, and bioremediation. The convergence of biological and chemical approaches shows promise, but scaling these solutions requires integration with policy reform and public awareness to meaningfully reduce the growing burden of microplastic pollution.

Reduction Scenarios of Plastic Waste Emission to Avoid Additional Ocean Plastic Pollution by 2050s

Plastic Pollution and the Need for Responsible Plastic Consumption and Waste Management

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This paper reviewed the global scale of plastic pollution across environmental compartments and assessed current waste management practices — recycling, composting, incineration, and landfill — finding that all existing approaches result in leakage of plastics into natural environments. Closing the gap between plastic production and effective end-of-life management is a prerequisite for halting the continuous input of new microplastic particles into ecosystems and ultimately into human bodies.

Analysis of contemporary solutions for minimizing plastic pollution during2020–2025 and identification of future research directions

Managing plastic pollution: the role and impact of material flow analysis

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This review examines how material flow analysis (MFA) can systematically track plastic flows, stocks, and emissions across entire life cycles—from production through disposal—to quantify where plastics fragment into microplastics and nanoplastics. MFA provides the evidence base policymakers need to prioritize interventions at the stages most responsible for releasing persistent plastic particles into ecosystems and food chains.