Microplastic pollution in landfill soil: Emerging threats the environmental and public health

Insufficient knowledge about the decomposition of microplastics from plastic waste in landfills hinders community involvement in waste management and sorting, posing a new threat to the environment and public health. The present study identifies, characterizes, and quantifies the microplastics in landfills soil sample to determine the latest threats posed by microplastics in the environment, particularly in landfills that are close to residential areas. This research is a descriptive study, with soil samples taken from six points in landfill site in Depok City. The abundance and shape of microplastics were characterized using a microscope, while the microplastic types were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in the Depok City landfill soil was 60,111.67 particles/kg, with the largest percentage being fragments at 63 %. FTIR functional group characterization showed the presence of plastic types, such as Polyethylene (PE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Polyamide. The differences in waste types entering the Depok Landfill caused variations in the number, shape, and type of microplastic samples, and this study provides a foundation for mitigating and biodegrading microplastics in the landfill to minimize environmental impact and protect public health.