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Second Life Plastic Project: Using a One Health Lens to Address Plastic Bottle Pollution
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Not relevant to microplastics — this paper proposes a One Health initiative to collect and 3D-print plastic bottles into furniture as a community-scale plastic pollution reduction strategy, without investigating microplastic contamination or health effects.
One Health is an intersectional approach to balance and optimize the health of humans, non-human animals, and the environment. Single-use plastics have become a major part of modernity, but their improper disposal has devastating impacts on the One Health triad. Current strategies to address plastic pollution include the ban on single-use plastic items and modification of the trade flow of waste aids. While these strategies are effective, they are not sustainable enough to produce the long-term, large-scale impacts that are needed. This paper proposes the implementation of a smallscale One Health initiative aimed at reducing plastic pollution. Specifically, plastic bottles will be collected, then undergo shredding and repurposing by a 3D printer to create furniture pieces such as chairs and storage containers that will be sold to customers. Repurposing plastic bottles provides a sustainable long-term solution that reduces the amount of plastic waste ending up in landfills, protecting the health of humans, non-human animals, and the environment. If proven successful, this local initiative could be leveraged by additional communities to grow into a worldwide application.
More Papers Like This
Role of Microplastics in the Global Plastics Pollution Crisis with Respect to One Health in the Post-COVID-19 Era
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This review applied a One Health framework to assess how the global microplastic crisis—worsened by pandemic-related surges in single-use plastics—threatens human, animal, and ecosystem health through ingestion, inhalation, endocrine disruption, and biomagnification through food webs. The interdisciplinary lens underscores that microplastic pollution cannot be addressed by any single sector and requires coordinated policy, waste management reform, and public health action to reduce systemic human exposure.
Tackling the microplastics pandemic: the CLEAN framework as an integrated one health approach for global environmental and public health
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This paper introduces the CLEAN framework as an integrated One Health approach for addressing microplastic pollution across environmental, animal, and human health domains. Researchers argue that current responses to microplastic contamination are fragmented and propose a systematic risk assessment and prevention strategy analogous to occupational health management. The framework aims to bridge gaps between environmental science, public health policy, and community-level action on microplastic exposure.
Managing Microplastics in the Kingston, Ontario, Community: A Novel One Health Innovation
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A One Health community initiative in Kingston, Ontario proposes repurposing plastic bags — diverted from entering waterways — into sleeping bags for unhoused people, combining environmental plastic reduction with direct social benefit. The paper argues that local circular economy projects addressing the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" framework are a scalable model for reducing microplastic precursors from entering ecosystems.
Public Awareness Of Plastic Pollution And Perceived Risks To Human Health.
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This study aims to assess public awareness of plastic pollution and its health impacts by surveying urban and semi-urban communities about their plastic use habits and self-reported health outcomes. Researchers plan to compare families using plastic food-contact materials with those using non-plastic alternatives to identify gaps in awareness and potential health differences linked to everyday plastic exposure.
Plastic waste micro-management towards innovative sustainable living in inspiring art practice
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This paper is not directly about microplastic science; it describes a participatory art project in a Malaysian village where artists and communities collaborated to manage plastic waste and raise awareness about plastic pollution through sustainable art practices.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.