{"id":45164,"date":"2022-04-05T10:11:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T08:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=45164"},"modified":"2022-04-23T13:34:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-23T11:34:15","slug":"microplastics-causes-effects-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/microplastics-causes-effects-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Microplastics: Causes, Effects and Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Because of its convenience, versatility, and affordability, plastic<\/strong><\/a> production has risen by 200% in just a few decades. The main problem is that a large amount of plastic is not being properly recycled<\/strong> and crumbles into microplastics, causing the worsening of the current environmental emergency<\/strong>. In Italy, only 30% of plastic is recycled, while the quantity dispersed in the environment varies from 2% to 5% every year.<\/p>\n

\"The
The increase in plastic production from 1950 to 2019 (source: video by educazioneambientale Appa)<\/div><\/div>\n

Since January 2020, the “European strategy for plastic in the circular economy<\/em>” has placed bans on plastic production<\/strong>; in fact, the only microplastics still authorized are those contained in make-up products. Similar bans have been implemented in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Microplastics<\/h2>\n

Plastic disintegrates into small pieces between 1\u00b5m and 5mm in size, called microplastics<\/strong> (or nano plastics if smaller than 1\u00b5m).\u00a0These tiny particles of plastic are distinguished into primary and secondary.<\/p>\n

Primary Microplastic<\/h3>\n

Primary microplastic is intentionally manufactured to be added to some products, such as body care products<\/strong>, or derives from plastic products, such as synthetic clothing <\/strong>and tires<\/strong>. Examples of primary microplastics are:<\/p>\n