8 Examples of Microplastics

John Spacey, updated on August 07, 2023

Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller 1 mm in diameter. They are manufactured for use in products such as toothpaste and industrial processes, often as a scrubbing agent. Due to their size, they are often not recycled and end up in waterways and oceans. Microplastics can also result from the breakdown of larger plastic items. The following are common examples of microplastics.

Cosmetics	Clothing (synthetic fiber)
Industrial processes	Breakdown of larger plastics
Cleaning products	Microbeads
Agricultural plastics	Tire wear

Filter-feeding organisms often consume microplastics where they enter the food chain. According to some estimates there are around 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world's oceans.

Impact

Plastic takes between 50 and 600 years to breakdown

The breakdown of plastic releases chemicals into waterways

Plastic may threaten species, including small species that are the basis of the ocean food chain.

Plastic enters the food chain at the lowest levels where it may impact the health of all ocean species and humans.

Potential Solutions

Capture and recycling at sewage treatment facilities

Reduction of waste from marine transport and commercial fishing.

Use of natural scrubbers such as crushed almonds in cosmetic products.

Use of plant based biodegradable plastics for industrial scrubbing.

Natural fibers in clothing

Collecting and recycling macro plastic debris in oceans

Overview: Microplastics
Type	Environmental Issue
Definition	Small plastic particles that enter the environment, particularly waterways and oceans where they become part of the food chain.
Related Concepts	Environmental Issues