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(edits not finished yet) Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result humans produce a lot of plastic. However, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade. Together, these two factors allow large volumes of plastic to enter the environment as mismanaged waste and for it to persist in the ecosystem.

Plastic pollution can afflict land, waterways and oceans. It is estimated that 1.1 to 8.8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean from coastal communities each year. It is estimated that there is a stock of 86 million tons of plastic marine debris in the worldwide ocean as of the end of 2013, with an assumption that 1.4% of global plastics produced from 1950 to 2013 has entered the ocean and has accumulated there. Some researchers suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by weight. Living organisms, particularly marine animals, can be harmed either by mechanical effects such as entanglement in plastic objects, problems related to ingestion of plastic waste, or through exposure to chemicals within plastics that interfere with their physiology. Degraded plastic waste can directly affect humans through both direct consumption (i.e. in tap water), indirect consumption (by eating animals), and disruption of various hormonal mechanisms.

Plastic waste production has increased over the years across the globe, it has reached approximately 6,300 million metric tons (MT). Most of that plastic waste has been discarded in landfills and the surrounding environment. The calculated amount of plastic pollution that flows into the world's oceans is about 4.8-12.7 MT. A large amount of that waste comes from landfills and other sources on land and is transported by river or wind into the ocean. (2)

As of 2019, 368 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year; 51% in Asia, where China is the world's largest producer. From the 1950s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced worldwide, of which an estimated 9% has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated. This large amount of plastic waste enters the environment, with studies suggesting that the bodies of 90% of seabirds contain plastic debris. In some areas there have been significant efforts to reduce the prominence of free range plastic pollution, through reducing plastic consumption, litter cleanup, and promoting plastic recycling. As of 2020, the global mass of produced plastic exceeds the biomass of all land and marine animals combined. A May 2019 amendment to the Basel Convention regulates the exportation/importation of plastic waste, largely intended to prevent the shipping of plastic waste from developed countries to developing countries. Nearly all countries have joined this agreement. National Geographic, 30 Oct. 2020,

Plastics affect on the Soil Environment

Many different species, including humans, need adequate soil to survive. Soil pollution is a big threat, it can even affect the safety of food for humans. Concern about plastic pollution has grown quite a bit, people are more focused on this issue now. Researchers have been paying attention to plastic waste in soil and are now drawing even more attention to this problem. The danger of small plastics in the soil and terrestrial ecosystems has become too big to ignore any further. A lot of researchers have also discovered the devastating effects of widespread plastic contamination in the soil environment, regarding the effects of microplastics. (1)

External Sources: https://www-sciencedirect-com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/science/article/pii/S0269749117348637

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14572