As a sustainability researcher, I know how quickly we could make big changes to reduce plastic pollution. Here’s what we – both individually and globally – should be doing more of, and what to avoid.
Discarded clothing is responsible for millions of tonnes of plastic waste each year.
Yudhistira99/Shutterstock
Deonie Allen, University of Birmingham; Melanie Bergmann, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, and Steve Allen, Dalhousie University
Arctic sea ice algae contaminated with microplastics have serious consequences for ecosystems and the climate.
Alternative food containers, such as those made of bioplastics, are being promoted as a way to reduce our exposure to plastic in food. But there is still a lack of knowledge around their impacts.
With concern mounting over microplastics and the search for sustainable options, the woollen swimsuits of the past could be the swimwear of the future.
Organic fertilisers, but also littering, tire wear and mulch films all contribute to microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.
Christof Stache/AFP
It’s impossible to escape exposure to microplastics and a new study confirms they’re in household dust around the world. But the health risks appear surprisingly low, and vacuuming makes a difference.
Plastic waste in Kampala, Uganda.
Omer Faruk Ozbil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
We need to advance our understanding of the effects of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems, especially on small animals at the base of food webs that might be ingesting more of these particles.
Mntafufu Estuary in the northern part of the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Anusha Rajkaran