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Plastic pollution has also greatly negatively affected our environment. "The pollution is significant and widespread, with plastic debris found on even the most remote coastal areas and in every marine habitat". [77] This information tells us about how much of a consequential change plastic pollution has made on the ocean and even the coasts.
The U.S. and 174 other nations failed to agree on a new treaty to reduce the plastic pollution contaminating our environment, food, water, and even our bodies.
Plastic pollution is wreaking havoc on both the environment and human health. Microplastics, which come from the breakdown of plastic waste, are now found in 26% of marine fish—double the amount from just a decade ago. This environmental damage extends to wildlife, with species like turtles, fish, and seabirds suffering from ingesting plastic.
While visible pollution caused by larger plastic items is well-documented, the hidden threat posed by NPs remains under-explored. These particles originate from the degradation of larger plastics and are now found in various environmental matrices, including water, soil, and air.
Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. [1] [2] [3] Recycling can reduce dependence on landfills, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. [4] [5] [6] Recycling rates lag behind those of other recoverable materials, such as aluminium, glass and paper.
The United States is the biggest creator of plastic waste and the third largest source of ocean plastic pollution, e.g. plastic waste that gets into the oceans. Much of the plastic waste generated in the United States is shipped to other countries. [88]
As a shift away from plastic, paper and other plant-based materials are increasingly utilized in commercial settings, including the production of drinking straws, purportedly to mitigate plastic pollution. However, the manufacture of these materials often involves the addition of PFAS to confer water-repellent properties.
Plastics accounts for 80% of waste dispersed in the marine and coastal environment of the Mediterranean Sea. [24] Recent studies focus on the types of plastics found and primarily on the issue of microplastics, both at a global but also at a regional level, as in the case of the Mediterranean Sea, which was identified as a "target hotspot of the world" due to its amounts of microplastics ...