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Trends in the Generation, Behaviour, and Fate of Microplastics from Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems
Summary
This review examines trends in the generation, behavior, and fate of microplastics arising from municipal solid waste management systems, addressing how inadequate waste handling accelerates microplastic entry into soils, water, and food chains. The authors discuss how microplastics sorb chemical pollutants, form coronas, and affect organisms across the food chain, arguing that ecological risks are currently underestimated.
The high quantity, persistence, and pervasiveness of microplastics in the environment is causing adverse effects globally. For example, their size promotes their ingestion by and the death of both primary consumers, which are at the bottom of the food chain, and certain detritivores, which are at the bottom of the food chain to reactivate the nutrient cycle. This problem is further aggravated by the fact that microplastics absorb, transport, and release chemical pollutants and hazardous substances. Also, they increase the quantity of pollutants absorbed by plants. Microplastics can agglomerate and form coronas. Consequently, the ecological risk of microplastics may be underestimated. Therefore, this paper examines trends in the generation, fate, and behaviour of microplastics in the environment, particularly those derived from municipal solid waste management systems. It also proposes the main challenges in this field and avenues for future research.