Micro Plastics

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that pollute the environment.

Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than five millimeters in length according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Two classifications of microplastics currently exist. Primary microplastics are any plastic fragments or particles that are already 5.0 mm in size or less before entering the environment.  

Secondary microplastics are microplastics that are created from the degradation of larger plastic products once they enter the environment through natural weathering processes. Such sources of secondary microplastics include water and soda bottles, fishing nets, and plastic bags.

Both types are recognized to persist in the environment at high levels, particularly in aquatic and marine ecosystems. 

Plastics degrade slowly, often over hundreds of years. This increases the probability of microplastics being ingested and incorporated into, and accumulated in, the bodies and tissues of many organisms.

The entire cycle and movement of microplastics in the environment is not yet known, but research is currently underway to investigate this issue.

Microplastics are common in our world today. In 2014, it was estimated that there are between 15 and 51 trillion individual pieces of microplastic in the world’s oceans, which was estimated to weigh between 93,000 and 236,000 metric tons.

It’s almost inevitable to not participate in something that is already a huge problem worldwide, but we can all make the decision to divest from industries and brands that continue to add to the problem.

Figuring out ways to be plastic and even package free can seem like a daunting task but reaching out to organizations who are tackling these issues can help you change your behaviors and eventually change our world, for the better.