The lost treasure at sea: plastic waste

Much of modern human life is encased in plastic. This ever-present material enrobes our food, is embedded in our clothing and structures the objects and tools we use every day. Unfortunately, its many benefits come at a steep cost. Even the plastic bags we use for mere moments could remain in our environment for thousands of years.

Only about 9 percent of used plastics are recycled. Those that are recycled by thermo-mechanical process degrade and become unusable after several cycles. Most plastic waste becomes landfill or litter. Like rain, most waste plastic flows downward through bodies of water, ending up in the ocean. As it breaks down, it enters the ecosystem. Microplastics, nanoplastics, and PFAS, etc. now appear in the deepest ocean trenches and the highest mountain peaks. They are so ubiquitous that they now appear in our bloodstreams. Babies are consuming microplastics in breast milk. When bioproducts and biosystems engineering professor Roger Ruan, PhD, looks at a multicolored mountain of food bags or an ocean island of jugs and personal protective equipment, he sees a gold mine. Read the full story on the BBE website.