Globally, cigarette butts are by number the largest form of plastic pollution in the world, with trillions being cast away annually. Few people are aware of the damage to our lives, waterways and ecosystems after cigarette ends are released into the environment. Why are filters so awful? Cigarette filters contain; residual nicotine, heavy metals and other harmful materials but it's an engineered plastic product. Cellulose acetate, the main component of a filter, can withstan

The first part in this two part series established what microplastics are. In this second part we are looking at whether they are harmful to humans, and if so, should we be worried? Microplastics are very likely present in our bodies. Dr Dušan Materić of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research says ‘We do have plastics in us … I think that is safe to assume’. Plastic is closely tied to our food and drink. Research by Retail Economics found that 70% of UK food packagin

Latest research shows that patients who suffer heart attacks have more micro and nanoplastics in their blood. When we talk about plastic and health, the conversation usually revolves around the stomach and digestion. But microplastics don't stay in the gut. Nanoplastics are small enough to pass through the lungs or gut into the bloodstream, where they can travel throughout the body, and they have been found in the blood vessels supplying the heart. The first big warning came

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic measuring less than five millimetres in length, are everywhere. They are in our clothes, our homes, and even the food we eat. Small enough to go unnoticed, and near impossible to clean up once they have entered the environment, they have infiltrated the food chain at every level. The main route via which microplastics enter the environment is through our waterways. Water degrades large plastic waste into tiny fragments, which are quic

Fatty liver disease, also known as Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, is caused by a build up of fat in the liver and affects one third of the adult global population. Many factors contribute to fatty liver disease including diet, obesity, insulin resistance, genes, and gut dysbiosis. There are four stages of fatty liver disease: Steatosis: Accumulation of fat, with no damage to the liver Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: Accumulation o

Flexible plastic spout pouches are the most widely used packaging for baby food globally, used by 92% of parents in the UK with children between 0-3. The polyethylene inner layer, which comes into direct contact with the food, has been found to be a source of microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals. Greenpeace commissioned the testing of two popular baby food products from Nestle and Danone to assess the levels of microplastics and plastic associated chemicals in both

As plastic is part of our lives, using innovative solutions for waste management may be necessary. However, this can mislead the public into believing that plastic use is sustainable. When considering the consequences and complexities, these may not be sustainable solutions at all. Improved recycling collections - As plastic is part of our lives, it is obviously desirable to recycle as much of our waste as possible. Innovative collection methods may lead to higher rates of r

Firstly, what is greenwashing? Greenwashing is when organizations employ techniques to suggest that they are engaging in greener practices when, in reality, this is either exaggerated, misleading, or outright deceptive. For example, companies could pose behind ‘eco-friendly’ buzzwords without any tangibility, set false emission targets, or champion sustainable efforts whilst neglecting their polluting behaviours. In the field of fashion, greenwashing has become rife. When fa

“Take a deep breath. You have just inhaled two to eight microplastic particles”. That is how the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) opens its new report on Microplastics. Microplastic pollution puts agricultural soil, food security, and human health at risk. The report finds that the UK still has no cohesive national strategy, no legally binding reduction targets, and no regulatory limits on the primary pathways through which microplastics enter our environment. Here is ho

Sustainable plastic solutions attempt to solve the plastic problem with innovation. Rather than reducing plastic production and use, ‘sustainable’ bioplastics have been developed, and better waste management processes have been proposed instead. Improved recycling collections have been suggested as a sustainable plastics solution. The more plastic that is appropriately collected, the more plastic gets recycled. However, a more complex system of collection may confuse or demot

Plastic pollution is usually pictured as something outside the body: bottles on beaches, fragments floating in oceans or waste accumulating in landfill. Increasingly, however, scientists are finding evidence of plastic somewhere much closer to home - inside us. As plastic breaks down, it forms microscopic particles known as microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics. Humans can encounter these particles through food, drinking water and the air we breathe. Researchers have no

Biodegradable plastics (a type of bioplastic) have been developed to attempt to mitigate the plastic waste management problem. Plastic once produced, doesn’t just disappear. It’s either sent to landfill, incinerated, recycled (only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled), or ends up polluting the environment. Biodegradable plastics can be broken down by microorganisms into safe by-products such as water, natural gas and biomass. A big concern with biodegradable plastics is whet

From a plastic bottle to microplastic particles, told as if it happened in a single day 6:00 AM It began the workday at 6 AM: filled, capped, handed to someone in a hurry. It held water for twenty minutes, then was put down and, missing the recycling bin by a few steps, dropped into a drain instead. It is made of PET, which is a recyclable plastic engineered to resist breaking down. It is built for permanence, but used within minutes. 9:00 AM Rain carried it to a stream, the

Many of us rely on ready meals to feed ourselves and our families as they’re a convenient way of eating our favourite dishes. Chowing down on these meals regularly can have an adverse effect on your health, but not in the way you might think. Though there’s conflicting evidence on exactly how much is released, a body of research is warning of the plastics that leach into the food from these containers, particularly when they’re heated in the microwave. Fatty food and acidic f

It is generally well known that microplastic particles are found all over our environment, including in the food we eat. Alarmingly, one of the biggest reasons behind that is the textile industry, the third-largest consumer of plastic, standing just behind packaging and construction. Clothing items from familiar fast-fashion brands have been found to contain plastic fibres which not only end up in landfills and oceans, but consequently in our food, seriously impacting our phy

Netflix’s documentary, The Plastic Detox, explores potential health impacts of microplastic exposure in everyday life, focusing on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and fertility. Unlike other plastic documentaries, this one gives an intimate insight into plastic’s effect on human health in their home and town, rather than on plastic pollution in the oceans. It highlights the scarily vast and extensive amount of plastic that is in our daily lives. From the minute you wake up an

In 2026, The Big Plastic Count estimated that the UK bins 82 billion pieces of plastic each year, with over half, 59%, being burnt in the UK. So how much are we consuming? The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published a report in 2019 based on research that estimated humans ingest around 5g of plastic weekly, a credit card’s worth, equating to around 50 plastic bags annually. A shocking number, shared by news outlets globally, but how true is it? Microplastics are particles

Indonesia is one of the most recent Southeast Asian countries to ban plastic waste imports. Despite the ban, the consequences of plastic waste imports inundating Indonesian communities remain, and they serve as a warning for neighbouring countries yet to impose their own bans. The Indonesian government initially attempted to create livelihoods with the waste imports. Paper mills were to use these imports to source scrap paper to reuse in their production, and local communitie

Plastic is often seen as a miracle material. It certainly has useful properties: it’s durable, versatile and cheap. But what exactly is plastic? Plastics are moldable materials made up of polymers – long chains made from repeating molecules. Almost all plastics are derived from fossil fuels such as crude oil and natural gas. These contain a mixture of hydrocarbons which are processed in various stages to make plastic: Refining - Fossil fuels are extracted and refined into pro

Perhaps you’re thinking oh - plastics aren’t my problem. Turtles getting trapped is sad, but I’m safe. You’d be wrong. The idea that plastic pollution only affects wildlife is a dangerous misconception. In reality, humans are part of the marine food web, and we’re already consuming the consequences of plastic waste. Microplastics - particles smaller than 5mm - are now found in 99% of seafood. Shrimp, mussels, fish and even sea salt have tested positive for plastic contamina