Missing Plastic News Today

Floating microplastic is broken down into ever smaller, invisible nano plastic particles that spread throughout the entire water column, as well as compounds that bacteria can then completely degrade.

A novel approach for extracting and identifying microplastic particles from water samples was used to study samples from the tropical Indian Ocean.

Cardiff University researchers calculated that between 31,000 and 42,000 tons of microplastic particles (or 86-710 trillion microplastic particles) are introduced to European soils each year, reflecting the quantity of microplastics detected in ocean surface waters

Earthworms prefer soil with particular types of microplastics, according to a new study published in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science & Technology, although they metabolize the polymers differently, the team believes might have an influence on the animals' health and the ecosystem

A novel technique can simultaneously break down the most commonly used form of plastic and synthesize valuable, widely used molecules, potentially making some plastic waste recycling more attractive and practical, a new study finds.

Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis.

More than 70% of microplastics found in samples from oceans and rivers could come from the scientists collecting them.