Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Modelo circular para el desarrollo sostenible en PYMES recicladoras de plásticos: una revisión sistemática

This review synthesizes 23 studies on circular economy models for sustainable development in plastic-recycling SMEs, identifying four key categories of challenges, responsibilities, strategies, and innovation opportunities through a systematic PRISMA-guided bibliometric analysis of literature from 2017 to 2024.

2025 Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar
Article Tier 2

¿Conoces las secuelas ambientales de la COVID-19?: microplásticos y su repercusión en el medio marino y la salud

This paper examines the environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the increase in single-use plastic waste and microplastic pollution in Spanish-speaking regions. The authors call for greater public awareness and policy action to address these compounding environmental challenges.

2024 Con Evidencia
Article Tier 2

La educación ambiental: problemática de los plásticos de un solo uso en las instituciones educativas

This Spanish-language paper explores environmental education strategies for addressing single-use plastic problems in school settings, examining how formal education can build environmental awareness and culture around plastic waste. Educating younger generations about plastic pollution is a long-term strategy for reducing the behavior that creates microplastic contamination.

2021 Revista Boletín Redipe 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Polímeros biodegradables como alternativa para reducir la producción y el consumo de productos elaborados con plástico

This Spanish-language review examined biodegradable polymers as alternatives to conventional plastics, noting that conventional plastics fragment into microplastics that contaminate food and water sources and harm organisms. The review argues that switching to biodegradable alternatives is essential for reducing the global microplastic burden.

2021 2 citations
Article Tier 2

¿Lo que no se ve no hace daño? Micro y nanoplásticos otra herencia para el futuro

This Spanish-language overview reviews microplastic pollution, noting that over 430 million tons of plastic are produced annually, and summarizes evidence that microplastics threaten ecosystems and human health through ingestion and accumulation across trophic levels.

2024 Revista de la Facultad de Medicina 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic waste as a challenge for sustainable development and circularity in the European Union

This review examines the plastic waste crisis in the European Union, evaluating gaps between recycling policy ambitions and actual outcomes. It argues that without major improvements in waste management infrastructure and circular economy practices, plastics will continue to fragment into microplastics and contaminate European ecosystems.

2020 Ekonomia i Prawo 21 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview of the Current Trends in Marine Plastic Litter Management for a Sustainable Development

This review summarizes current knowledge about marine plastic litter, from its land-based origins to its distribution across ocean environments, and evaluates recovery and recycling strategies. Researchers found that while technologies for collecting and recycling marine plastics are advancing, significant economic and logistical barriers remain. The study emphasizes that a circular economy approach, combining prevention, collection, and material recovery, is essential for addressing ocean plastic pollution.

2024 Recycling 30 citations
Article Tier 2

The challenge of plastics in a circular perspective

This review examines the challenge of transitioning plastics into a circular economy, analyzing Italy as a case study and discussing recycling rates, waste management strategies, and the systemic changes needed to reduce plastic pollution while maintaining plastic's economic utility.

2022 Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 20 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in Latin America Ecosystems: A Critical Review of the Current Stage and Research Needs

This systematic review of 196 studies reveals that Latin America, which consumes 8% of the world's plastic but recycles only 4.5%, has significant gaps in microplastic contamination data. Understanding the distribution of microplastics in Latin American ecosystems is critical for assessing potential health risks to the region's populations.

2022 Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society 33 citations
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy

Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.

2025 Journal of Green Economy and Low-Carbon Development
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos: Presencia y diseminación en el medio ambiente

This Spanish-language review examines the current state of microplastic research, covering characterization methods, their presence in water, soil, and air, impacts on food webs and human health, and strategies needed to address this global environmental challenge.

2023 Investigación y Ciencia de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Urgen nuevas maneras de diseñar, producir y consumir objetos de plástico en México

This article argued that Mexico urgently needs new approaches to designing, producing, and consuming single-use plastic objects, as widespread unconscious use of long-lasting materials for short-lived purposes is generating serious environmental and health consequences.

2023
Article Tier 2

Economia circulară și recuperarea deșeurilor din plastic prin reciclare în Moldova

This paper examines plastic waste management and circular economy challenges in the Republic of Moldova, a country with low recycling rates and significant environmental contamination from inadequate waste infrastructure. The analysis identifies barriers to improving plastic recovery and highlights the intersection of economic development with environmental sustainability.

2023
Article Tier 2

Are Reliable and Emerging Technologies Available for Plastic Recycling in a Circular Economy?

This review examines the current landscape of plastic recycling technologies -- including mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological depolymerization methods such as pyrolysis -- evaluating their readiness for circular economy integration. It concludes that while recycling rates remain below 10% globally, emerging technologies offer pathways toward closed-loop plastic supply chains, though full-scale implementation requires further development and performance assessment.

2022 IntechOpen eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Sistemas de revalorización de poliolefinas procedentes de residuos sólidos urbanos

This Spanish thesis examined systems for recovering and reusing polyolefin plastics from municipal solid waste, evaluating mechanical and chemical recycling approaches. Improving plastic recovery rates reduces the volume of plastic waste that eventually fragments into microplastics in landfills and the environment.

2023
Article Tier 2

Contaminación ambiental por plásticos durante la pandemia y sus efectos en la salud humana

This Spanish-language review traced the history of plastic materials from the 19th century to the COVID-19 pandemic era, examining how increased face mask and single-use plastic disposal during the pandemic amplified environmental plastic contamination. The authors assess health consequences of pandemic-related plastic pollution for both ecosystems and human populations.

2022 Revista Colombiana de Cirugía 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Una revisión sobre investigaciones en basura marina en Colombia: Aportes, desafíos y oportunidades

This Spanish-language review surveys research on marine litter in Colombia's coastal and marine environments, identifying contributions, challenges, and opportunities in this area. The authors highlight that rivers carrying plastic waste into the sea cause severe ocean contamination, and connect this problem to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water.

2022 Editorial UNIMAR eBooks
Article Tier 2

The road to sustainable use and waste management of plastics in Portugal

Researchers assessed Portugal's plastic production, consumption, waste management, and beach litter levels relative to EU targets, finding that current recycling rates (34%) fall below EU averages (42%) and recommending expanded pyrolysis, gasification, and single-use plastic regulations as near-term complements to improved recycling infrastructure.

2021 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The issue of plastic use during the Covid-19 pandemic

This Spanish-language review discusses how plastic use surged during COVID-19 quarantine periods and examines the environmental consequences of increased plastic waste. The article highlights that single-use plastics used for hygiene and delivery packaging contributed to elevated microplastic accumulation in ecosystems during the pandemic.

2020 South Sustainability 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Examining Latin America’s Transition to a Circular Economy for Plastics

This policy analysis found that Latin American countries are generating increasing amounts of plastic waste while their waste management and recycling infrastructure remains inadequate, though the region is beginning to adopt circular economy strategies through national roadmaps and legislation. The study is relevant to microplastic pollution because poor waste management is a primary driver of plastic breakdown into microplastics in rivers and coastal waters.

2026 Environmental Management
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

Los microplásticos en el entorno acuático: Un vistazo a la cinética, mecanismo de degradación, impacto ambiental y en la salud humana

This Spanish-language review examines how microplastics enter aquatic ecosystems, how they degrade over time, and what their environmental and human health effects may be. The authors report that microplastics have now reached even pristine environments like the polar regions, and that their ingestion by diverse organisms raises serious questions about long-term ecosystem health. The review highlights the urgent need for better understanding of microplastic toxicity and fate in water bodies.

2023 Vida Natural
Article Tier 2

https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/article.php?id=4400

This review examines how circularity in plastics is being advanced through product redesign, advanced recycling technologies, and policy instruments like Extended Producer Responsibility. Researchers found that the transition to a circular plastic economy is constrained by infrastructure deficits, uneven public awareness, and fragmented regional strategies. The study argues that effective circularity requires not only technical innovation but also attention to the social and economic dimensions of plastic waste management.

2026 International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review on integrative approach for sustainable management of plastic waste and its associated externalities

This review examines the challenges of managing plastic waste in developing countries, where inadequate infrastructure leads to open dumping and the generation of microplastics and nanoplastics. Researchers assessed various management strategies including mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery approaches. The study emphasizes the need for integrated, sustainable waste management systems to reduce the environmental and health externalities of plastic pollution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 171 citations