Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Strategies for efficient management of microplastics to achieve life cycle assessment and circular economy

This review examines strategies for managing microplastic waste through a circular economy and life cycle assessment (LCA) lens, arguing that current recycling practices and waste disposal methods are inadequate given the sheer volume of plastics entering ecosystems. The authors propose a conceptual framework integrating LCA principles into microplastic management to better quantify ecological risks and guide more sustainable plastic use policies.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling and Management of Microplastic Waste

This review examines recycling and management strategies for plastic waste, describing the technical and economic challenges of reducing plastic pollution and the remediation approaches that have been attempted to address microplastic accumulation in the environment.

2025 ˜The œBioscan.
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Sources, Reduction and Remediation: Current State and Future Trends

This review synthesizes current knowledge on primary and secondary microplastic sources, methods for eliminating microplastics from different environmental media, and the role of circular economy principles in minimizing microplastic pollution across the entire plastic value chain. The study outlines an upside-down pyramid strategy prioritizing prevention, reduction, reuse, and recycling over disposal, and surveys emerging technologies for sustainable polymer production and remediation.

2024 Metallurgical and Materials Data 1 citations
Article Tier 2

An Examination of Microplastics: Environmental Impact, Sustainability, and Recyclability Innovation

This paper examined the environmental impact of microplastics, sustainability implications of current plastic use, and recycling options to address the plastic pollution crisis. It called for a transition toward circular economy approaches that reduce primary plastic production and increase recycled content.

2024 Journal of Student Research
Article Tier 2

Future aspects of micro-plastics and their management

This review covers the main types of plastic pollution and their fragmentation into microplastics that accumulate in marine environments. The authors argue that recycling, reuse, and community-level prevention strategies are essential for reducing plastic waste reaching the ocean.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Management Strategies for Plastic Wastes: A Roadmap Toward Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability

This chapter reviews strategies for managing plastic waste — including mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and circular economy frameworks — as alternatives to landfilling and incineration. Unmanaged plastic waste breaks down into microplastics that spread widely through wind and water, making better upstream management critical for reducing environmental contamination. The authors argue that genuinely circular approaches, where waste is eliminated rather than merely shifted, offer the most effective path to reducing long-term microplastic pollution.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards the Rational Use of Plastic Packaging to Reduce Microplastic Pollution: A Mini Review

This review examines how plastic packaging degrades into microplastics and explores strategies for reducing microplastic pollution through more rational use of plastics. The study suggests that shifting from a linear "take-make-dispose" model to a circular economy framework is essential for mitigating the environmental impact of plastics, particularly in aquatic ecosystems where microplastics persist and accumulate.

2025 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

System innovation and life cycle thinking in packaging value chain: the circularity of plastics.

This paper examines the role of circular economy principles in reducing plastic packaging waste, noting that despite existing recycling systems, plastics remain pervasive environmental contaminants. The authors argue that redesigning packaging systems for recyclability and reducing over-packaging are essential steps to address microplastic pollution at its source.

2020 AMS Dottorato Institutional Doctoral Theses Repository (University of Bologna) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic degradation and material flow analysis towards a circular economy

This critical review examined microplastic degradation processes and applied material flow analysis to understand plastic waste streams toward a circular economy. The study highlights that microplastics are particularly threatening due to their high mobility, ease of ingestion by wildlife, and ability to carry toxic contaminants, and identifies key intervention points in the plastic life cycle where waste reduction could be most effective.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Technical Report: Rethink waste

This technical report examines waste reduction strategies with a focus on rethinking material flows, plastic waste generation, and the feasibility of transitioning to circular economy approaches to reduce overall waste volumes including microplastic precursors.

2025
Article Tier 2

Circular economy and reduction of micro(nano)plastics contamination

This review argues that transitioning to a circular economy — through better design, recycling infrastructure, and reducing single-use plastics — offers one of the most viable systemic pathways to reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination of the environment.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategic pathways for sustainable plastic management through a circular economy approach in India

This paper analyzed strategic pathways for sustainable plastic waste management in India through a circular economy lens, examining the environmental and health risks posed by microplastics from inadequate plastic disposal. The authors identify policy, infrastructure, and behavioral interventions needed to reduce India's microplastic burden.

2025 Discover Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Strategies and technologies for sustainable plastic waste treatment and recycling

This review covers current and emerging methods for recycling and treating plastic waste to reduce environmental pollution. The authors emphasize that improperly managed plastics break down into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems, and they evaluate strategies including chemical recycling, biodegradation, and energy recovery as more sustainable alternatives to landfilling.

2025 Environmental Functional Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Pollution & Solution

This review examines plastic waste management strategies across the plastic lifecycle, noting that landfilling remains the dominant approach despite its environmental and health drawbacks. It concludes that recycling and energy recovery offer better outcomes than landfilling, which is relevant to microplastics because improper disposal accelerates the fragmentation of plastics into smaller particles that enter ecosystems.

2023 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater: available techniques and way forward

This review surveys available techniques for removing microplastics from wastewater within a circular economy framework, discussing innovative treatment technologies, integrated risk-based approaches, and regulatory and economic guidelines needed to advance water resource recovery facilities beyond conventional pollutant removal.

2023 IWA Publishing eBooks 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials

This review synthesizes research on the degradation and recycling of polymer materials, covering microplastic formation, recycling strategies, and plastic degradation mechanisms as responses to the significant environmental damage caused by discarded plastics in ocean and other ecosystems.

2025
Article Tier 2

Global Material Flow of Macro‐ and Microplastics to Support a Circular Economy

Researchers developed a global material flow analysis of macro- and microplastics to identify where intervention efforts can best support a circular economy. The study found that current plastic waste reduction initiatives are often misaligned with the most impactful leverage points in the plastic material cycle.

2025 Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing
Article Tier 2

How to Build a Microplastics‐Free Environment: Strategies for Microplastics Degradation and Plastics Recycling

This review examines strategies for degrading microplastics and recycling plastic waste to build a microplastic-free environment. Researchers evaluated approaches including biodegradation, photocatalytic degradation, advanced oxidation processes, and chemical recycling methods. The study highlights that while promising technologies exist, no single method can yet achieve complete microplastic elimination, and a combination of prevention, removal, and recycling strategies will be needed.

2022 Advanced Science 275 citations
Article Tier 2

Closing the Loop on Microplastics

This chapter examines the challenge of closing the loop on microplastics -- from their pervasive presence in the environment to viable solutions for reducing production, improving waste management, and remediating contaminated systems. The authors review circular economy strategies and evaluate the feasibility of technical and policy interventions to address the microplastic lifecycle.

2024
Article Tier 2

From Harm to Hope: Tackling Microplastics’ Perils with Recycling Innovation

This review examines how plastics break down into microplastics, nanoplastics, and persistent organic pollutants that contaminate the environment and enter the human food chain. Researchers call for new biomarkers to track human exposure and improved methods for detecting these tiny particles in food and the environment. The study emphasizes the need for better recycling practices and adherence to reduce-reuse-recycle strategies to address the growing health and environmental risks of plastic pollution.

2025 Molecules 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitigating microplastic pollution: A critical review on the effects, remediation, and utilization strategies of microplastics

This review summarizes how microplastics smaller than 150 micrometers can be easily consumed by living organisms and cause a range of toxic effects including acute, chronic, cancer-related, developmental, and genetic damage. It calls for sustainable approaches to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste, and explores ways to convert plastic trash into valuable products.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 136 citations
Article Tier 2

A Path to a Reduction in Micro and Nanoplastics Pollution

This review outlines strategies for reducing micro and nanoplastic pollution, covering prevention, cleanup, and policy approaches. The authors discuss biodegradable alternatives, improved waste management, advanced filtration, and regulatory frameworks that could help address the problem. The paper emphasizes that tackling microplastic pollution requires action across manufacturing, disposal, and environmental remediation.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on Plastic Waste Management: Challenges and Possible Solutions to Ensure Its Sustainable Use

This review argues that banning all plastics is not realistic and instead calls for better waste management, recycling technology, and circular economy approaches to reduce plastic pollution. The authors outline strategies including biodegradable alternatives, improved recycling infrastructure, and policy changes to minimize plastic entering the environment. Reducing plastic waste at the source is critical for lowering human exposure to microplastics in food, water, and air.

2024 Recycling 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Recovery and Utilization: From Ocean Pollution to Green Economy

This review examines strategies for recovering and utilizing ocean plastic waste within a green economy framework, covering collection technologies, recycling pathways, and circular economy approaches to transform marine plastic pollution into valuable resources.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 25 citations