Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
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TLDR
By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, this work presents the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured.Abstract:
Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.read more
Citations
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The Chemical Recycling of Polyesters for a Circular Plastics Economy: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.
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Different effects of nano- and microplastics on oxidative status and gut microbiota in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma.
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of nanoplastics and microplastics (NMPs) on oxidative status and gut microbiota in the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma were examined.
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Microplastics in freshwater sediments of Atoyac River basin, Puebla City, Mexico.
TL;DR: It was found that the concentration of MPs is higher in the downstream section of the river, revealing significant impacts of dense population and industrial complex of Puebla City, and the widespread distribution of MPs in the sediments of Atoyac River basin, Mexico.
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Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the role of geographic, ecological, and behavioral factors in plastic ingestion by marine fish and found evidence that surface ingestion-deep sea egestion of microplastics by mesopelagic myctophids is likely a key mechanism for the export of micro-plastics from the surface ocean to seafloor, a sink for marine debris.
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Legacy additives in a circular economy of plastics: Current dilemma, policy analysis, and emerging countermeasures
TL;DR: In this article, a review of legacy additives in plastic waste streams, their end-of-life treatment options related to legislation covering these additives and links between regulation and waste management is presented.
References
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Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Jenna Jambeck,Roland Geyer,Chris Wilcox,Theodore R. Siegler,Miriam E. Perryman,Anthony L. Andrady,Ramani Narayan,Kara Lavender Law +7 more
TL;DR: This work combines available data on solid waste with a model that uses population density and economic status to estimate the amount of land-based plastic waste entering the ocean, which is estimated to be 275 million metric tons.
Supplementary Materials for Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Jenna Jambeck,Roland Geyer,Chris Wilcox,Theodore R. Siegler,Anthony L. Andrady,Ramani Narayan,Kara Lavender Law +6 more
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Journal ArticleDOI
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