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Plastics: From Revolutionary Innovation to Global Menace—Strategies for Remediation
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This review traced the history of plastic innovation to the current global pollution crisis, cataloging the scale of microplastic and nanoplastic environmental contamination and evaluating remediation strategies including microbial degradation by organisms like Ideonella sakaiensis and Aspergillus, biodegradable alternatives, chemical recycling, and bioremediation. The convergence of biological and chemical approaches shows promise, but scaling these solutions requires integration with policy reform and public awareness to meaningfully reduce the growing burden of microplastic pollution.
Plastics, owing to their durability, affordability and versatility, have become an indispensable global commodity. Unfortunately, the mismanagement of plastics has led to the widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), posing unpredictable environmental risks. Thus, it is essential to update the masses regarding this alarming situation and to acquaint them to the conventional as well as emerging plastic waste management strategies. Plastic waste management-biotechnology approaches are developing as viable solutions, as seen in Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium that completely degrades PET plastics within six weeks. The Aspergillus sp. fungus can destroy polyethene by as much as 70% within 21 days. Biodegradable polymers, such as PHA, can decompose in marine environments within 1.5 to 3.5 years, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. Despite the challenges in scaling these remedies, the combination of microbial and enzymatic degradation holds promise for mitigating the growing threat of microplastic pollution. Traditional plastic disposal methods, such as landfilling and incineration, present environmental limitations. Bioremediation, chemical recycling, and bioplastics offer promising, sustainable alternatives. However, economic feasibility, policy integration, and societal awareness remain critical challenges. This review provides explicit information on the invention of plastics, the scale of plastic pollution, its ecological and health hazards, and critically evaluates traditional, contemporary and emerging strategies for plastic waste remediation within the sustainability framework. A multidisciplinary approach combining technological innovation (integrated waste management system: IWM). regulatory frameworks, and public engagement is essential to mitigate plastic pollution and foster a circular economy.
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This paper proposed a strategic framework for addressing global plastic pollution, integrating policy, technology, industry, and consumer behavior to reduce plastic production and improve end-of-life management. Without coordinated systemic intervention, current plastic production trajectories guarantee exponentially growing microplastic contamination of ecosystems and human bodies for generations to come.
Innovative Approaches to Plastic Waste Management
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This chapter surveys practical strategies and technological innovations for managing plastic waste, from improved recycling systems to novel material substitutes, addressing the mounting crisis of plastic accumulation in urban and aquatic ecosystems. Effective plastic waste management is a critical upstream intervention for reducing the volume of material that eventually fragments into the microplastics now found everywhere on Earth.
Tackling the Ubiquity of Plastic Waste for Human and Planetary Health
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Researchers outlined the dual threat posed by plastic waste to human and planetary health, calling for urgent interdisciplinary action that bridges environmental science, public health, and policy to address the ubiquitous persistence of plastic pollution across ecosystems.
Plastic Pollution and the Need for Responsible Plastic Consumption and Waste Management
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This paper reviewed the global scale of plastic pollution across environmental compartments and assessed current waste management practices — recycling, composting, incineration, and landfill — finding that all existing approaches result in leakage of plastics into natural environments. Closing the gap between plastic production and effective end-of-life management is a prerequisite for halting the continuous input of new microplastic particles into ecosystems and ultimately into human bodies.
Plastics and Microplastics—Environmental and Health Hazards
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Researchers reviewed how long-lasting plastic use and improper disposal—through landfilling or incineration—releases hazardous chemicals into soil, food, and water, posing serious environmental and public health risks across ecosystems.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.