Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

Researchers reported on the psychological outcomes for participants in a citizen science project studying household microplastic sources, finding that engagement with microplastic research increased environmental awareness and motivated behavior change around plastic use.

2025
Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

Researchers conducted a pre-registered three-month citizen science study in the Netherlands where participants used microfiber-capturing laundry bags and completed pre/post surveys on environmental concern, perceived responsibility, and washing behavior. High baseline environmental concern was found but did not strongly predict behavior change, suggesting psychological interventions beyond awareness are needed to reduce laundry microfiber emissions.

2025
Article Tier 2

Psychological outcomes from a citizen science study on microplastics from household clothes washing

A citizen science study in which households measured synthetic microfibers released during laundry washing found that participants reported increased environmental concern and behavioral intent to reduce microfiber emissions, demonstrating that participatory research on household microplastic sources can have positive psychological effects.

2025
Article Tier 2

Science in and with society: insights into synthetic microfibre emissions from textiles with citizen scientists

Researchers engaged citizen scientists in a large-scale study of synthetic microfibre emissions from household textile washing, collecting real-world data on how fabric properties and washing conditions influence microfibre release rates while also investigating individual willingness to adopt pollution-reducing laundry practices.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Science in and with society: insights into synthetic microfibre emissions from textiles with citizen scientists

Researchers partnered with citizen scientists to study synthetic microfibre emissions from washing textiles at scale, generating broad real-world datasets on how washing conditions and fabric properties drive microfibre release and assessing public attitudes toward adopting microfibre reduction behaviors.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Students’ attitudes towards the environment and marine litter in the context of a coastal water quality educational citizen science project

Middle school students who participated in a citizen science project monitoring coastal water quality and microplastic pollution showed significantly more positive environmental attitudes afterward compared to a control group. The study suggests that hands-on engagement with real microplastic research can be an effective way to build environmental awareness in young people.

2023 Australian Journal of Environmental Education 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen science against the plastic soup: background, motivation and expectations of volunteers studying plastic pollution on Dutch riverbanks

Researchers surveyed 122 citizen scientists in the Dutch Clean Rivers project before and after one year of monitoring plastic pollution on riverbanks, finding that participants were predominantly middle-aged, highly educated, and motivated by activist goals of tackling plastic pollution at its source, while more personal motivations such as learning and enjoyment declined significantly over the participation period.

2023 Research for All 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Longitudinal Study of Motivation, Attitude, and Knowledge of Citizen Scientists Monitoring Plastic Pollution On Dutch Riverbanks

Researchers conducted a longitudinal study of 403 citizen scientists participating in the Dutch Clean Rivers riverbank plastic monitoring project between 2017 and 2021, finding that project action and environmental motivations increased significantly within the first year while knowledge of scientific research methods also improved.

2024 Citizen Science Theory and Practice
Article Tier 2

REMEDIES Citizen Science Protocol for the Recovery and Quantification of Microplastics

This citizen science protocol equips everyday volunteers to collect and quantify microplastic fibers released from synthetic fabrics during home laundering. Standardizing community-based sampling methods is critical for scaling up environmental monitoring and building the large datasets needed to understand how washing clothes contributes to microplastic pollution.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

REMEDIES Citizen Science Protocol for the Recovery and Quantification of Microplastics

This citizen science protocol equips everyday volunteers to collect and quantify microplastic fibers released from synthetic fabrics during home laundering. Standardizing community-based sampling methods is critical for scaling up environmental monitoring and building the large datasets needed to understand how washing clothes contributes to microplastic pollution.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Students’ Attitudes Towards Science: the Contribution of a Citizen Science Project for Monitoring Coastal Water Quality and (micro)plastics

This study found that middle school students participating in a citizen science project monitoring coastal water quality and microplastic pollution showed improved attitudes toward science, particularly in critical thinking and perceived scientific self-efficacy. Hands-on engagement with real environmental monitoring activities can effectively improve science literacy and positive attitudes toward environmental issues in young people.

2021 Journal of Baltic Science Education 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen_Labs – conception and evaluation of a course on plastic waste and microplastic in adult education

Researchers conceived and evaluated a citizen science laboratory course on plastic waste and microplastics for adult education, examining how experiential learning formats can raise environmental awareness and scientific literacy about plastic pollution among non-specialist participants.

2022 CHEMKON 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research

Researchers reported on eight years of citizen science microplastic research conducted with school students through the Plastic Pirates program, sharing methodological experiences and lessons learned from involving more than 24,000 participants across Germany and other European countries in rigorous environmental monitoring.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Washing machine filters to mitigate microplastics release: Citizen science study to estimate microfibers capture potential and assess their social acceptability

Researchers enrolled citizen volunteers to test whether filters installed in home washing machines could capture microfibers released during laundry, finding that filters trapped an average of about 4.6 mg of synthetic microfibers per liter of wash water — but over two-thirds of participants found installation difficult. The study validates filters as a practical microplastic source-control strategy while flagging that ease of installation must improve for widespread adoption.

2024 Environmental Challenges 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Embedding citizens within airborne microplastic and microfibre research

A citizen science study investigated airborne microplastics and microfibres in home environments, which are likely major sources of indoor plastic emissions given the volume of plastics and textiles stored and used there. Involving residents in sampling improved spatial coverage and community awareness of microplastic exposure in everyday settings.

2023 Cambridge Prisms Plastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Differences and InfluencingFactors of Public Participation in EnvironmentalProtection Behavior in the Private and PublicSpheres in China

Not relevant to microplastics — this sociological study analyzes factors influencing Chinese citizens' environmental protection behaviors in public and private spheres, using 2013 national survey data.

2023 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Public knowledge of microplastics for pro-environmental behavior

Researchers analyzed public knowledge of microplastics and its relationship to pro-environmental behavior, finding that because microplastics are invisible to the naked eye, public perception depends entirely on external information sources rather than direct experience, with implications for environmental communication strategies.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Pro-environmental behaviour is undermined by disgust sensitivity: The case of excessive laundering

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a social psychology study examining how disgust sensitivity and pro-environmental identity conflict to drive excessive laundry washing behavior among European consumers.

2024 PLoS ONE 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Public perception of microplastics pollution in Switzerland: Psychological distance, concern, and willingness to engage in mitigation activities

Researchers surveyed over 900 people in Switzerland to understand how the public perceives microplastic pollution and their willingness to take action. The study found that people perceive microplastics as a relatively close threat on most psychological dimensions, and that concern about the issue, particularly concern for nature, is a stronger predictor of willingness to engage in mitigation activities than psychological distance alone.

2026
Article Tier 2

The human dimension: how social and behavioural research methods can help address microplastics in the environment

This paper outlines how social and behavioral science research methods — including surveys, interviews, and behavioral experiments — can be applied to understand human dimensions of the microplastic pollution problem. Addressing plastic pollution requires not just environmental science but also understanding why people produce, use, and dispose of plastics as they do.

2016 Analytical Methods 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science for Assessment of Microplastics on Beaches: A Case Study in Mexico

Researchers used a citizen science approach involving 26 volunteers to assess microplastic abundance and type on Mexican beaches, providing broad geographic coverage at lower cost than traditional monitoring. Participants used standardized materials and training to collect and identify microplastics, generating a representative database that also raised public awareness of coastal plastic pollution.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Laundry Practices and Microplastic Pollution: Behavioral Insights and Strategies for Reducing Environmental Impact

This study examines consumer laundering behaviours and willingness to adopt microfibre filters using discrete choice experiments, finding that informational interventions about environmental effects did not significantly shift laundry decisions and that consumer preferences for microfibre filters varied based on efficiency, replacement interval, and price.

2025 University of Alberta Library
Article Tier 2

The potential contribution of citizen science data in the study of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distributions

Researchers analyzed citizen science data from the Big Microplastic Survey to assess the potential contribution of volunteer-collected observations to understanding coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distribution patterns, evaluating data quality and spatial coverage relative to conventional scientific monitoring.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Citizen science sampling programs as a technique for monitoring microplastic pollution: results, lessons learned and recommendations for working with volunteers for monitoring plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems

Volunteers monitored microplastic contamination along 550 km of the Ottawa River in Canada using a standardized method, finding microplastics at almost every sampling site. Citizen science programs like this show promise for scaling up microplastic monitoring at low cost.

2019 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 68 citations