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Ecology portal. v. t. e. Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. [ 1][ 2] Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. [ 3] Plastics are ...
Plastic. Household items made of various types of plastics. Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be molded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptability, plus a wide range of other properties ...
Biodegradable plastic. Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. [ 1] Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three. [ 2]
Plastic roads. First recycled glass and plastic road in New South Wales, Australia at suburb Engadine. Plastic roads were first developed by Rajagopalan Vasudevan in 2001, [2] consisting of an asphalt mix incorporating plastic waste. The incorporation of plastics in roads could open an additional option for recycling post-consumer plastics.
Secondary plastics are small pieces of plastic derived from the breakdown of larger plastic debris, both at sea and on land. [5] Over time, a culmination of physical, biological, and chemphotodegradation, including photo-oxidation caused by sunlight exposure, can reduce the structural integrity of plastic debris to a size that is eventually ...
Marine plastic pollution. The pathway by which plastics enters the world's oceans. Marine plastic pollution is a type of marine pollution by plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the fragmentation of plastic material. Marine debris is mainly discarded human rubbish ...
Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. [ 1][ 2][ 3] Recycling can reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. [ 4][ 5] Recycling rates lag behind those of other recoverable materials, such as aluminium, glass and paper.
Polymer degradation is the reduction in the physical properties of a polymer, such as strength, caused by changes in its chemical composition. Polymers and particularly plastics are subject to degradation at all stages of their product life cycle, including during their initial processing, use, disposal into the environment and recycling. [ 1]