Solid waste: An overlooked source of microplastics to the environment

Harmita Golwala; Xueyao Zhang; Syeed Md Iskander; Adam L Smith

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144581

Solid waste: An overlooked source of microplastics to the environment

Sci Total Environ. 2021 May 15:769:144581. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144581. Epub 2021 Jan 9.

Authors

Harmita Golwala¹, Xueyao Zhang¹, Syeed Md Iskander², Adam L Smith³

Affiliations

¹ Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
² Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, 1410 North 14th Avenue, Fargo, ND 58102, USA. Electronic address: syeed.iskander@ndsu.edu.
³ Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: smithada@usc.edu.

PMID: 33482549
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144581

Abstract

Microplastics pollution is one of the most pressing environmental problems of the 21st century. While microplastics are pervasive throughout various environmental compartments, research to date has primarily focused on marine systems. Land-based microplastics sources (e.g., solid waste) have received comparatively little attention, although they account for the main flow of microplastics into aquatic environments. Solid waste microplastics sources primarily include landfill refuse, sludge, and food waste. Microplastics in these waste streams can be associated with various micropollutants that can have deleterious impacts on ecosystem health as they enter the food chain. Thus, understanding the occurrence, fate, and degradation pathways of solid waste microplastics is essential to develop comprehensive control and mitigation strategies. This study critically reviewed these key aspects of microplastics in municipal solid waste landfill refuse, sewage sludge, and food waste, and identified the interconnections of these components in the proliferation of microplastics to the environment. Additionally, microplastics related laws and regulations and their relevance to solid waste microplastics mitigation are discussed.

Keywords: Biosolids; Food waste; Landfill refuse; Leachate; Micropollutants; Sludge.

Publication types

Review