microplastic
Small particles of plastic (typically less than 5 mm) produced by the degradation of plastic products, found in high levels in the marine environment and increasingly throughout all environments and in food and drinks.
Adjective
- Exhibiting microplasticity.
Origin
From micro- + plastic.
Noun
- Small particles of plastic (typically less than 5 mm) produced by the degradation of plastic products, found in high levels in the marine environment and increasingly throughout all environments and in food and drinks.
- Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. - 2022 March 24, Damian Carrington, “Microplastics...
- Sailors testing the waters during the Ocean Race, which travels through some of the world’s most remote ocean environments, have found microplastics in every sample. - 2023 June 5, Yvonne Gordon, “Microplastics found in...
- “Even under a variety of policies, including plastic product reduction, waste management, and environmental recycling, microplastic pollution is irreversible and escalating.” - 2024 December 17, Lex Harvey,...