plastic pollution
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How does plastic pollute the environment?
Plastic is not biodegradable. Instead of breaking down completely, it forms smaller pieces calledmicroplastics, which can last on Earth for centuries. Manufacturers have produced “biodegradable plastic” that can break down, but only through industrial composting, which is not common in the U.S. Plastic waste affects many areas of the natural environment, especially theoceans and thebiodiversity of its ecosystems.
What happens to plastic in the United States?
In the United States, plastic that is not recycled is dumped in landfills or incinerated, or it is shipped to other countries. Every year, the U.S. ships over 1 million tons of its plastic waste overseas.
To which countries does the U.S. export plastic waste?
Until 2018, when China banned all plastic scrap shipments, the U.S. sent the majority of its plastic waste to that country. American companies then started shipping waste to Malaysia and Indonesia instead. However, in July 2025, Malaysia banned all plastic waste shipments from the U.S., claiming that exporters were dumping plastics and polluting the country.
What are some ways to prevent plastic pollution?
On an individual level, consumers can cut back on single-use plastic. Small changes, like opting for a reusable water bottle or straw, can work to reduce plastic waste. Ensuring effective recycling, like cleaning contaminated plastic and making sure waste is truly recyclable, can also help. Additionally, voting forgreen policies can bring change on a systematic level.
What are the harmful effects of plastic pollution on humans?
Studies have found that plastic products and their waste can be toxic to humans. They enter and potentially harm the body through food, water, and skin contact. Some chemicals used in plastic manufacturing are labeled priority pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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plastic pollution, accumulation in theenvironment ofsyntheticplastic products to the point that they create problems for wildlife and theirhabitats as well as forhumanpopulations. In 1907 the invention ofBakelite brought about a revolution in materials by introducing truly synthetic plasticresins into world commerce. By the end of the 20th century, plastics had been found to be persistent polluters of many environmentalniches, fromMount Everest to thebottom of the sea. Whether being mistaken forfood byanimals, flooding low-lying areas by clogging drainage systems, or simply causing significantaestheticblight, plastics have attracted increasing attention as a large-scalepollutant.
The problem of plastics
Plastic is apolymeric material—that is, a material whosemolecules are very large, often resembling long chains made up of a seemingly endless series of interconnected links. Natural polymers such asrubber andsilk exist in abundance, but nature’s “plastics” have not been implicated in environmentalpollution, because they do not persist in theenvironment. Today, however, the average consumer comes into daily contact with all kinds of plastic materials that have been developed specifically to defeat natural decay processes—materials derived mainly frompetroleum that can be molded, cast, spun, or applied as a coating. Since synthetic plastics are largelynonbiodegradable, they tend to persist in naturalenvironments. Moreover, many lightweight single-use plastic products and packaging materials, which account for approximately 50 percent of all plastics produced, are not deposited in containers for subsequent removal tolandfills,recycling centres, orincinerators. Instead, they are improperly disposed of at or near the location where they end their usefulness to the consumer. Dropped on the ground, thrown out of acarwindow, heaped onto an already full trash bin, or inadvertently carried off by a gust ofwind, they immediately begin to pollute theenvironment. Indeed, landscapes littered by plastic packaging have become common in many parts of the world. (Illegal dumping of plastic and overflowing of containment structures also play a role.) Studies from around the world have not shown any particular country ordemographic group to be most responsible, thoughpopulation centres generate the most litter. The causes and effects of plastic pollution are truly worldwide.
According to thetrade association PlasticsEurope, worldwide plastic production grew from some 1.5 million metric tons (about 1.7 million short tons) per year in 1950 to an estimated 275 million metric tons (about 303 million short tons) by 2010 and 359 million metric tons (nearly 396 million short tons) by 2018; between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons (5.3 million and 14 million short tons) are discarded into theoceans annually by countries with ocean coastlines.
Compared with materials in common use in the first half of the 20th century, such asglass,paper,iron, andaluminum, plastics have a low recovery rate. That is, they are relatively inefficient to reuse asrecycled scrap in the manufacturing process, because of significant processing difficulties such as a lowmelting point, which prevents contaminants from being driven off during heating and reprocessing. Most recycled plastics are subsidized below the cost of raw materials by various deposit schemes, or their recycling is simplymandated by government regulations.Recycling rates vary dramatically from country to country, and only northern European countries obtain rates greater than 50 percent. In any case, recycling does not really address plastic pollution, since recycled plastic is “properly” disposed of, whereas plastic pollution comes from improper disposal.