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Plastic pollution has also greatly negatively affected our environment. "The pollution is significant and widespread, with plastic debris found on even the most remote coastal areas and in every marine habitat". [77] This information tells us about how much of a consequential change plastic pollution has made on the ocean and even the coasts.
The environmental impact of fishing can be divided into issues that involve the availability of fish to be caught, such as overfishing, sustainable fisheries, and fisheries management; and issues that involve the impact of fishing on other elements of the environment, such as by-catch and destruction of habitat such as coral reefs. [51]
The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different farming practices have on the ecosystems around them, and how those effects can be traced back to those practices. [1] The environmental impact of agriculture varies widely based on practices employed by farmers and by the scale of practice.
Moreover, plastic exposed to sunlight and in watering environments produce greenhouse gases, leading to further environmental impact. [149] As the plastic particles are primarily found in the pelagic layer of the ocean they experience high levels of photodegradation, which causes the plastics to break down into ever smaller pieces.
Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. [1] [2] [3] Recycling can reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. [4] [5] [6] Recycling rates lag behind those of other recoverable materials, such as aluminium, glass and paper.
As a shift away from plastic, paper and other plant-based materials are increasingly utilized in commercial settings, including the production of drinking straws, purportedly to mitigate plastic pollution. However, the manufacture of these materials often involves the addition of PFAS to confer water-repellent properties.
Humans are exposed to toxic chemicals and microplastics at all stages in the plastics life cycle. Microplastics effects on human health are of growing concern and an area of research. The tiny particles known as microplastics (MPs), have been found in various environmental and biological matrices, including air, water, food, and human tissues.
In the 1980s and 1990s, plastic recycling and the development of biodegradable plastics began to flourish to mitigate environmental impacts. [ 139 ] [ 140 ] From 2000 to the present, bioplastics from renewable sources and awareness of microplastics have spurred extensive research and policies to control plastic pollution.