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Condition of composted microplastics after they have been buried for 30 years: Vertical distribution in the soil and degree of degradation
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Researchers examined microplastic distribution and degradation in agricultural soil that received household waste compost more than 30 years earlier. The study found that microplastics remained concentrated in the cultivated soil layer without significant downward migration, and that polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PVC accounted for 90% of particles, with advanced degradation raising concerns about increased leaching of contaminants into soil and the food supply.
Microplastics in soils are a growing concern. Composting household wastes can introduce microplastics to agroecosystems, because when unsorted compost is used as a fertilizer, the plastic debris it contains degrades to microplastics. This paper examines the distribution and degradation of microplastics in agricultural soil samples to investigate their potential mobility. The source of microplastics was a household waste compost added to the soil more than 30 years before the study. The microplastics were sorted from a plot-composite soil and characterised by Attenuated Total Reflectance combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The microplastics are present in the cultivated depth but have not been transferred deeper (2.9 g kg in the 0-5 cm soil depth against 0.9 g kg in the 30-35 cm soil depth). Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and Polyvinylchloride (PVC) were identified in the forms of heterogeneous fragments, films, and fibres and accounted for 90% of the total microplastics. Advanced degradation observed was mainly assumed to be due to composting, though the plastic may have degraded further in the soil matrix. Highly degraded plastics are a greater danger for further leaching of contaminants into soil and our food supply.
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Coarse microplastic accumulation patterns in agricultural soils during two decades of different urban composts application
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Researchers analyzed 21 years of soil samples from fields treated with three different types of urban waste compost to track how microplastics accumulate over time. They found that all compost types introduced microplastics into the soil, with distinct patterns depending on the compost source, and that certain plastic types persisted and built up over decades. The study suggests that long-term compost application is a significant pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Pollution characteristics of microplastics in greenhouse soil profiles with the long-term application of organic compost
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Researchers examined microplastic pollution in greenhouse soils that received organic compost over a 15-year period. The study found that long-term compost application significantly increased microplastic accumulation in soil profiles, with particles gradually weathering into smaller fragments and migrating to deeper soil layers, and earthworms in compost-amended soils also contained elevated microplastic levels.
Microplastic pollution in long-term urban compost amended soils
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This study examined microplastic pollution in soils that had received long-term amendments of urban compost, finding significant plastic contamination from compost application. The results highlight that composting can be a pathway for microplastics to enter agricultural soils.
Vertical distributions of microplastics in long-term mulched soils and their potential impacts on soil properties and microbial diversity
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Microplastic concentrations were measured at different depths in agricultural soils that had been mulched with plastic film over many years, finding vertical stratification with higher concentrations near the surface. Long-term plastic mulching leads to progressive accumulation of microplastics throughout the soil profile.
Plastics and other extraneous matter in municipal solid waste compost: A systematic review of sources, occurrence, implications, and fate in amended soils
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Researchers reviewed contamination in municipal compost made from household organic waste, finding plastics are the most prevalent pollutant — with some batches containing enough plastic to deposit over 500 kg per hectare of farmland each year. Repeated use of contaminated compost builds up microplastics in soil, threatening soil health and potentially moving plastic particles into crops and food.
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