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The world of plastic waste: A review
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This review provides a broad overview of the global plastic waste crisis, noting that over 359 million tons of plastic are produced annually and much of it ends up polluting the environment. Plastics break down into micro and nano sizes that spread through air, water, and soil, harming wildlife through ingestion and entanglement and threatening human health through cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, and cancer. The authors discuss end-of-life solutions including recycling, energy recovery, and biodegradable alternatives.
People discover various materials from time to time that break the boundaries of traditional materials. Plastic is a revolutionized material, and is referred to as “a material with 1,000 uses”. This review summarized up-to-date research on plastic and its waste pollution. Plastic has a domain throughout human life with its versatile properties such as lightweight, high durability, flexibility, and low production cost. This article describes the applications, benefits, production, consumption, and classifications of plastics. Plastic commercialization began with the Second World War and grew all over the world within less than a century. The global annual production of plastic is more than 359 million tons. Despite all the benefits, plastics cause severe environmental and public health issues. Accordingly, this study addresses the major issues of plastic waste on the environment and human health. Plastics can degrade into micro to nano sizes, and those fine particles are more spreadable in air, water, and soil. Therefore, both terrestrial and aquatic animals go through various negative impacts such as ingestion, entangling, ulcers, low reproduction, and oxidative stress. Microplastics also degrade human health due to cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, birth defects, cancer, etc. The closing contains the developed end-of-life options (e.g., recycling and reprocessing, incineration with energy recovery, modification reuse, value addition, and landfilling) of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic wastes. Several international, regional/national level legislations and policies/concepts (e.g., plastic trade, 3R policy, and circular economy) are available to manage plastic and plastic waste generation. Plastic waste management is also discussed offering practical insights and real-world scenarios. Solutions and challenges in effective plastic waste management guide to create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible approach. Finally, this review article highlights the importance of judicious decisions and the involvement of all stakeholders to overcome the plastic waste crisis.
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Plastic Pollution and Potential Solutions
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This review provides a broad overview of plastic pollution, covering the full lifecycle from manufacturing through disposal and environmental degradation. Researchers note that of the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic ever produced, roughly 79% has ended up in landfills or the natural environment, where it breaks down into micro- and nanoplastics that persist for centuries. The study discusses potential solutions including improved recycling, biodegradable alternatives, and policy interventions to reduce plastic waste.
A study on managing plastic waste to tackle the worldwide plastic contamination and environmental remediation
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This review examines the sources, distribution, and health effects of microplastic contamination worldwide, noting that global plastic production reached 359 million tonnes in 2020. Researchers found that microplastics account for roughly 75% of total marine waste and have been shown to cause toxic effects in humans and animals even at small concentrations. The study evaluates various waste management approaches aimed at reducing plastic contamination and supporting environmental remediation.
The World with an Admixture of Microplastics
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This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution, covering the history of plastic production, the environmental distribution of plastic particles, and associated health concerns. It discusses the challenge that plastic waste is accumulating in the environment faster than degradation or recycling can address.
Plastic Waste: Current Environmental Pollution, Health Hazard and Biodegradation Strategies and Its Management
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This review paper surveys the scope of global plastic pollution, covering environmental contamination, health hazards, and biodegradation strategies. The study highlights that with plastic production exceeding 390 million tons by 2021, effective waste management and biodegradation approaches are urgently needed to address microplastic accumulation.
Plastic Footprint
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This review discussed the global scale of plastic pollution—approximately 400 million tons of waste generated annually—and examined how plastics degrade into micro- and nanoplastics that accumulate in the food chain, climate system, and human body.
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