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Plastic and the Environment
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This chapter reviews the environmental challenges posed by plastic waste, covering the history and properties of plastics, the problems of plastic pollution, and the complexities of plastic recycling including hazardous substance propagation in electronics recycling streams.
This chapter provides a brief overview of the background of plastic, including nature and history, problems, and plastic recycling. Plastic recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, though generally well-managed and with positive recycling potential, can propagate hazardous substances into subsequent materials and products. V. Goodship explains the details of the entire plastics recycling process, associated materials, technologies, infrastructure, and challenges. As of 2015, approximately 6,300 million tons of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% had accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. Microplastics in the air, water, and food have many potential harmful implications for animal and human health. Plastic bags are infrequently recycled, and their light weight makes them easily carried by wind and water, creating land litter and marine debris. Geyer et al. identify common misperceptions that communities and the public have about recycling, which can negatively affect environmental evaluations, policies, and programs.
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The Devastation of Waste Plastic on the Environment and Remediation Processes: A Critical Review
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This review covers the full scope of plastic waste pollution, from sources and environmental damage to recycling and remediation strategies. It ranks common plastic polymers by the toxicity of their chemical building blocks and traces how plastic waste enters the environment. The review highlights that as plastics break down into microplastics, they become harder to clean up and more likely to enter the food chain, making prevention and recycling critical for reducing human exposure.
Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment: History and Future Challenges
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This review traces the history of plastic as a revolutionary material and examines how its success has led to severe and growing pollution problems in the marine environment. Researchers discuss the wide-ranging impacts of plastic debris on marine life, maritime industries, tourism, and human health. The study also critically evaluates current mitigation solutions and cautions that any alternatives to plastic must be carefully assessed to ensure they do not create new environmental problems.
Plastic in the marine environment
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This review examines plastic pollution in the marine environment, covering sources, distribution, and ecological impacts with particular attention to the history of scientific awareness of the problem. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of what is known about how plastic enters and persists in the ocean and what threats it poses to marine life.
Expanding plastics recycling technologies: chemical aspects, technology status and challenges
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This review examined the full life cycle of plastics and evaluated options for managing plastic waste, with a focus on chemical recycling technologies. The study suggests that overcoming barriers to industrial chemical recycling could open new opportunities for reducing plastic pollution.
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.
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.