• Microplastics are everywhere. You can do one simple thing to avoid them. (Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 10-13-25) The biggest sources of microplastics have one thing in common, scientists say. Microplastics, studies increasingly show, are released from exposure to heat. “Heat makes it easier for microplastics to leach out from packaging materials.”
Stop putting anything plastic in the microwave.
Don't pour hot water or hot tea into plastic containers.
Avoid exposing plastic to heat.
The effect was even stronger in plastics that are older and degraded. Hot coffee prepared in an eight-year-old home coffee machine with plastic components had twice as many microplastics as coffee prepared in a machine that was only six months old.
The same effect has been shown in studies looking at how laundry produces microplastics: Higher washing temperatures, scientists have found, lead to more tiny plastics released from synthetic clothing.
Keeping your plastic away from heat is a low-hanging fruit that can substantially lower your exposure.
• Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse (Laura Sullivan, All Things Considered, NPR, 10-24-22)
"The vast majority of plastic that people use, and in many cases put into blue recycling bins, is headed to landfills, or worse, according to a report from Greenpeace on the state of plastic recycling in the U.S.
"Greenpeace found that no plastic — not even soda bottles, one of the most prolific items thrown into recycling bins — meets the threshold to be called "recyclable" according to standards set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastic Economy Initiative. Plastic must have a recycling rate of 30% to reach that standard; no plastic has ever been recycled and reused close to that rate.'
• The plastic problem isn't your fault, but you can be part of the solution (Rebecca Davis, Audrey Nguyen, Life Kit, NPR,7-12-21)
"I'm talking about the stuff that comes with food and bottled drinks, cosmetics, carryout containers, bags and wrappers — more than 40% of all plastic made is packaging, which is used only once or twice before being thrown away. Don't we feel at least a little guilty when we toss one plastic snack wrapper or coffee cup after another into the trash?"
"It's estimated that only about 9% of plastic waste generated in the U.S. is recycled and that the rest ends up in landfills, incinerators and, unfortunately, marine environments such as rivers and oceans. And there, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it will remain for hundreds of years."
The Myth of Plastic Recycling (Laura Sullivan, Emily Kwong, Rebecca Ramirez, NPR, 12-08-22)
"Only a small fraction of plastic is ultimately recycled.
A recent Greenpeace report found that people may be putting plastic into recycling bins — but the amount of plastic transformed into new items in the U.S. is at a new roughly 5-6% low.
"The plastic industry has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the benefits of plastic, a product that, for the most part, was buried, was burned or, in some cases, wound up in the ocean. The problem has existed for decades. In all that time, less than 10 percent of plastic has ever been recycled."
• Plastic-Free July Every piece of plastic that’s ever been created still exists in our world. Single-use plastic is the worst culprit. It’s manufactured to last forever, yet it’s often used for only a few minutes before being thrown away. So what can we do to turn the tide on one of the most urgent issues of our time?
• How to live without plastics for a month, according to the founder of a global movement (Claire Murashima, NPR, 7-2-24)
• Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet (EPA, 2018)
• Where does the plastic in our oceans come from?(Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data, 5-1-21)
Which countries and rivers emit the most plastic to the ocean? Around 0.5% of plastic waste ends up in the ocean. Most of it stays close to the shoreline. What does this mean for solutions to tackle plastic pollution?
• Ocean plastics: How much do rich countries contribute by shipping their waste overseas? (Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data, 10-5-23)
Nearly one-quarter of the world’s plastic waste is mismanaged or littered. Around 82 million tonnes. This means it’s not stored in secure landfills, recycled or incinerated.
One-quarter of that – 19 million tonnes – is leaked to the environment. 13 million tonnes to terrestrial environments, and 6 million tonnes to rivers or coastlines.
1.7 million tonnes of this is then transported to the ocean: 1.4 million tonnes from rivers, and 0.3 million tonnes from coastlines. The rest of the plastic waste that was leaked into aquatic environments accumulated in rivers and lakes.