International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Volume 4 Issue 4, April 2019

www.ijasrm.com
ISSN 2455-6378

Microplastics and single use plastics: A

curse of over consumerism
Anil Pratap Singh1, Dr.Angom Sarjubala Devi2
1,2
Department of Environmental Science, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram-796004

Abstract released in to environment while secondary

Human population and waste generation are closely microplastics originate from degradation of larger
interlinked. According to an estimate by 2050 the global plastic items(Barnes et.al.,2009).Microbeads are a
population is projected to reach 9 billion and at the present type of microplastics having diameter less than 1
consumption rates plastic production is projected to cross 1 mm.Most common source of microbeads are tooth
billion tonnes by 2050.Plastic industry is directly and
indirectly involved in greenhouse gas emissions, in Europe
paste and mouthwash.Microplastics have been
alone 4-6% of oil and gas consumption is used to reported from beaches,sediments,ocean waters,guts
manufacture plastic products.Single use plastics (SUP) like of sea creatures and even from faeces of
cups, plates, straws, stirrers, bottles, food containers are humans(Derraik,2002).Several scientific studies have
substantial sources of plastic pollution.Microplastics documented incidence of microplastics in fisheries
include primary(Microbeads) and secondary (Fragments and aquaculture.Microplastics also act as carrier of
generated from plastics). Microplastics impose a great hazardous chemicals like flame retardants,
danger to marine and human life through consumption and pigments, alkylphenols, perfluorooctanoic acid,
toxicity.Mass production, consumption of plastics and lack
nonylphenols and propylene (Hermabessiere et.
of scientific management of plastic waste has led
accumulation of plastics in natural habitats.Which causes
al.,2017). According to an estimate around 4.8 to
entanglement, habitat damage, ingestion of plastic litter 12.7 MT of plastic enters the ocean annually and
and introduction of invasive species.Physiological impact around 300 billion pieces of plastics are floating in
include reduced growth rate,lower or blocked enzyme arctic ocean (Eriksen et al.,2014).Sectors such as
production,reproductive loss and adsorption of tourism, fisheries,birds,mammals,turtles and
toxicants.Plastic waste is causing serious impact on shipping is impacted by marine debris and litter.
economy of coastal countries in form of cost of cleanup, Around 400 million tonnes of plastics is produced
reduced fisheries stock and drop in tourism. Creating annually.Around 50% of all plastic waste produced
awareness, sensitization of consumers, effective and belongs to single use plastic products and packaging
stringent policy measures are required to overcome
menace of single use plastics and microplastics.
items.Around 5 trillion pieces of plastic weighing
Keywords: Single use plastics, microplastics, microbeads, around 2.69 lakh tonnes are floating in seas.
toxicity According to an estimate around 500 million to 1
trillion plastic plastic bags is consumed every year
1. Introduction globally. Region wise North east Asia, North
Single use plastics includes plastic item which are American and European region accounts for
intended to be used as once before being thrown 26%,21% and16% of global plastic waste
away or recycled.Single use plastics are used respectively.China is largest plastic polluter and
extensively in cosmetics, packaging,helath care and United Sates of America(USA) ranks first in per
comsumer goods.Most common single used plastic capita production plastic waste.According to an
items are straw pipes,plastic bags, water bottles estimate out of top 20 marine plastic waste
coffee and beverages container,wrappers,bottle contributing nations, 16 are middle income countries
caps,cutlery,stirrers etc (Xanthos and Walker,2017). where less importance is given for scientific disposal
Microplastics are small pieces of plastics having of plastic waste.Plastics persist in environment and
diameter less than 5 millimeter and larger than 10 doesn’t get biodegraded easily. Slow break down of
nannometer(Thompson et.al.,2004). Microplastics plastics takes place due several physical factors such
was first reported in 2013 from a fresh water lake as Ultraviolet(UV) rays, abrasion, wave action and
(Caruso,2015).Since then microplastics have been heat.Upon disintegration plastic items can release
reported in aquatic bodies of all continents except deleterious chemicals styrene,Benzene,if ingested
Antarctica.Single use plastics make up about 49% of can damage nervous system, lungs and reproductive
marine beach litter.Daily use products such as system (GESAMP,2016). Apart from that plastic
mouthwash,handwash,shampoo,conditioners,moistur items can block airways and stomach of marine
isers contains extensive amounts of animals who mistakes plastics as food.There is
micorplastics.Primary microplastics are directly urgent need to improve waste management practices

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 International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, Volume 4 Issue 4, April 2019
www.ijasrm.com
ISSN 2455-6378

with suitable incentive based schemes. Development landfills.China is largest generator of plastic waste
of alternatives in form of Bio based plastics and producing around 8.8 million metric tonnes per
biodegradable plastics are need of hour. Proper year.Problem of plastics is so grave that it is
labeling, source segregation and awareness, estimated that about 99% of sea birds have ingested
voluntary reduction strategies, public private micro plastics and 15% of marine species suffers
partnership and devising ecofriendly alternatives can from entanglement.
reduce burden of plastic waste to large extent. Table.3 Sources of Microplastics
Table.1 Categories of Microplastics Primary Microplastics Secondary Microplastics
(Lusher et al., 2017) Cosmetics Tires
Plastic raw materials Textile
Shape Terms used Paint Paints
Fragments Crystal ,powder, granules, flakes Rubber granules PVC used in building
material
Fiber Threads, filaments, fibres, strands
Personal care products Foot wear
Beads Grain, sphere, microbeads
Cooking utensils
Foam Polystyrene, expanded polystyrene
Pellets Resin pellets, nurdles, nibs
3. Impact of single use plastics and
Table.2 Common Single use plastics items Microplastics
Plastics lead to global ecotourism loss worth of 13
Cotton buds Cups billion USD due to aesthetic and economic loss
Cutlery Beverage containers caused by debris and plastic pollution
Plates Bags (Ranaud,2014).Single use plastic bags and
Stirrers Crisp packets Styrofoam are very popular as they are cheap, strong
Sticks for balloons Sanitary items and are hygienic but once used they get discarded
Food containers Fishing gear (ALDFG) and take hundreds of year to degrade, contaminate
Abandoned lost or otherwise soil and water. Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA)
discarded fishing gear are toxins which get leached from plastics and
contaminate soil and water (Hartmann
2. Global production and consumption et.al,2017).Pthalates get deposited in fat bearing
Around 8 billion tonnes of plastics have been tissues and act as endocrine disrupters.It can also
produced since 1950 generating approximately 6.3 lead to dysfunctioning of reproductive system,
billion tonnes of plastic waste.World produces 400 inhibition of secondary sexual characteristics and
million tonnes of plastics annually.Presently lead to cancer. BPA act as estrogen disrupter and has
packaging,textiles,building and construction, deleterious effect of placental tissue growth.It can
consumer products accounts for36%,14%,16% and lead to premature birth,still birth,intrauterine
10% respectively of global plastics production.About problems and preeclampsia.In a study BPA was
one fourth of all virgin plastics produced and almost found to have carcinogenic effect in rodents
50 % of all plastic waste produced is single use especially on prostrate glands and urinary tracts
plastics.Most commonly use single use plastics (Halden,2010).If current trend of plastic production
polluting oceans account for around 43% marine continues then green house emission by plastic sector
litter (Galgani et al.,2015). Huge amounts of micro will account for 15% of global annual Carbon
plastics have been reported from sea, beaches, rivers budget by 2050.In 2012 alone Global plastic
and soils.According to an estimate globally 1.5 production accounted for 390 million tonnes of
million tonnes of primary microplastics is released in Carbon di Oxide emission to atmosphere.At present
to oceans (Avio,2016).It amounts to 212 grams per around 150 million tonnes of plastic waste is lying in
capita per person per week.Out of this around 98% is oceans.Since plastics is made up of
generated from land based sources.Sources of additives,plasticizers, stablizers and colourants
microplastics are littering, sewage which are toxic in nature.It is estimated that around
sludge,plastiuculture and indiscriminate dumping in 23 million tonnes of additives is present in plastic
landfills.Soils act as permanent sink for waste in oceans,which is raising serious
microplastics.Microfibers and fragments have been concern.Plastics significantly impact maritime
reported from sewage sludge.Microplastics are economy which includes tourism,fising and shipping
produced from disintegration of plastics used as industry (Jang et.al.,2014).Apart from direct
protective sheet in plasticulture.If the current economic losses there is adverse impact on human
scenario continues then there will be around 12 health and livelihood, food chains and other
billion tonnes plastic waste in oceans and environmental factors (Green et. al.,2017).

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ISSN 2455-6378

Table.4 Hazardous chemicals released Barnacles,Hydroids,Mollusks.Several microbial

from microplastics communities are found to grow leading to
microplastic fouling.These microorganisms can
Hazardous Used for affect biodegradation and leaching of contaminants
chemical (Zettler et al.,2013).Microplastics have been found to
Phthalates Added to improve flexibility. cause oxidative stress and inhibit photosynthesis in
Effect:Endocrine disruption Scenedesmus spp.,it is also found to affect
Bisphenol A Used in polycarbonate physiology and health of zooplanktons like feeding
plastics,epoxy resin,PE,PP,PVC. and reproductive success.Higher mortality rates are
Effect:Endrocine disruption observed in copepods with chronic
Flame retardants Used to improve fire resistance in exposure(Bhattacharya et al.,2010,Cole et
(Polybrominated electrical devices. al.,2013,Lee et al.,2013).The impact on humans by
Diphenyl ethers) Effect:Endrocrine
consumption of sea food will depend on retention
disruption,teratogenic effect,liver
and kidney toxicity time of microplastics in gut of seafood like fish, rate
of release, degree of translocation from stomach to
Nonylphenols Used as stabilizer. other body tissues.
Effect:Endrocrine disruption 5. Management options
Trace or heavy Added to plastics as Common measures to curb menace of plastic waste
metals stablizers,anti-oxidants or dyes include partial or complete bans and reduction
Effect:Disruption of vital organs strategies. Although measures to crub plastic waste
exists but lack sincere implementation.Apart from
plastics only few countries have done policy
4. Fate and Mechanism of Interaction of intervention to limit microbeads by mostly restricting
Microplastics its use in cosmetics.In June 2014 United Nation’s
Microplastics are released directly in to environment. general assembly passed a resolution on marine
The fate of microplastics in environment is affected plastic debris and microplastics for its effective
by size, density, shape, and wind and water management by limiting sea and land based sources
movement (Depledge,2013).Ocean currents can and through effective legislations. World leaders
transport microplastics horizontly and have build a consensus to not only prevent but also
vertically.Environmental conditions such as reduce marine pollution. Beat the microbead
temperature,ultraviolet radiations and availability of initiative have successfully garnered attention of
oxygen affect plastic degradation.Biofouling and general public. It helps them check amount of
weathering can also lead to loss of microbeads in their personal care products by
buoyancy(Andrady,2011).Microplastics are reported scanning the bar code.Honolulu strategy was
from sea surface as garbage patch and on sea beach developed at International Marine debris conference
sediments.Waste waters from municipality and in 2011 to reduce plastic pollution in marine
effluent from industries contain very huge amount of ecosystems. It encompasses several measurs such a
microplastics.Microplastics have also been reported market based instruments, implementing policies,
from agricultural soils.Microplastics reach various regulations, legislations and launching clean sea
trophic levels through ingestion.Microplastics may campaign. European commission have implemented
be egested,fermented or get retention after European strategy on plastics 2018 mandates all
ingestion.Microplastics can attract hydrophobic packaging plastics must be reusable or recyclable by
chemical from environment.Hence ingesation of 2030.Compaign named as ‘straw wars’ was started in
microplastics can lead to bioaccumulation of London which promotes voluntary commitment to
chemicals inside organisms.Small plastics of size deny use of straws at restaurant and food
ranging from micro to nanno scale can be ingested or joints.Container deposit scheme started in South
taken through gills. Sometimes these tiny particles Australia have been a successful environmental
are mistaken for prey.Microplastics have been found legislation to promote recycling and reducing
in guts of to hundrededs of marine creatures. In an litter.Textile industry can play a leading role by
experiment Blue mussel(Mytilus eludes) were found development of textiles that release fewer
to accumulate polystyrene beads which caused fibers,prevent breakage of fibers from garments or
reduction in filtering and production of develop technologies to capture released
pseudofaeces.Cole et al.,2011 found significant fibres.Deposit refund scheme can be used for
amount of PCB(Polychlorinated biphenyls) in chicks beverage to provide incentives. Single use plastics
eating plastic pellets.Plastic debris provides are generally provided to customers freely which
dispersal opportunities for marine organisms which promotes its excessive use.Hence bans and
leads to potential invasion of alien species to new increasing cost of single use items by levy and taxes
environement.Most common species include can deter people and force them to use these items
wisely. Items designed and made from fiber like jute

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ISSN 2455-6378

and cotton can be promoted as they can be degraded strengthening waste management system and
easily. recycling along with safe and controlled disposal of
Table. 5 Strategies for future plastics. Introduction of extended producer
responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Scheme can
1 Creating after use plastic economy not only prove effective in reducing plastic litter but
2 Reducing leakage to natural systems also it can create job opportunities. Prevention is
3 Decoupling plastics from fossil feedstock most practical solution to reduce microplastic
4 Adopting circular economy approach in plastic pollution.Microplastics research should focus on
management scale,fate and impact of microplastics on terrestrial
5 Sourcing plastics from biomass based feedstock and aquatic ecosystem along with human health.Well
6 Effective recycling,depolymerization to generate developed technologies and methods need to be
feedstock, developing technology to remove additives devised to study sampling,extraction and
7 Development of biobenign material,superpolymers quantifying microplastics.A multipronged strategy in
which has excellent recyclability form of non regulatory measures such as status quo
8 Establishment of global plastics protocol or agreements with industry, new legislations such as
levy,taxes,refund schemes and intermediate models
6. Research needs and way forward in form of product stewardship can help reduce
There is need to investigate comprehensively sources menace of micro and single use plastics to large
and fate of micro and single use plastics. Apart from extent.Goverment should promote research and
marine water, fresh water microplastics need to be innovation to find alternatives to plastics,
monitored. Generating comprehensive data base on standardization and proper labeling for efficient
micro and single use plastics will help understand recycling, involvement of stakeholders in decision
environmental impact.Aspects such as intake making and raising awareness among consumers.
mechanism and fate of microplastics in biota should
be studied under laboratory as well as natural
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