Activity 3.3.3 - My plastic use

Definition of microplastics: Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic about the size of a grain of rice— usually 5 mm or smaller, that are substantially polluting our world. 

Where they are found: Microplastics are found everywhere. In fact, it is more difficult to find something not containing plastic in our current world. From cosmetics, to cleaning products, electronics, tea bags, glitter, and even clothing, almost everything we come into contact with every day contains plastic particles, and the majority of them are single use plastic. Some countries have even banned microplastics because they have caused extremely detrimental consequences to the planet.

How they get there: Primary microplastics are those originally fabricated in small sizes. Secondary microplastics come from the breaking down of bigger plastic materials, such as bottles, bags, and even clothing.


Why they are problematic to humans and the environment: Freshwater is an exhaustible natural resource and extremely important for daily life as it is the main source of food and shelter to certain living organisms on the planet. Haab, S., & Haab, K. (n.d.). Because it comes from petroleum, plastic is not biodegradable and a big percentage of it ends up being dumped in freshwater ecosystems. As plastic degrades, it begins to fragment into pieces that, unlike garbage, cannot be filtered out of the water through treatment plants because they are so tiny and difficult to see. This is extremely detrimental because, as a consequence, microplastics end up going straight into the ocean and are later consumed or absorbed by animals, primarily fish, and other organisms that might mistake them for food. According to USAtoday, scientists have discovered tiny plastic particles in human blood for the first time. Although not obviously visible to the human eye, humans have been ingesting and breathing in microplastics found in animals and other organisms we consume daily. What’s even more terrifying is that since the 1950s we have produced about 8300 million metric tons of plastic, of which only 9% has been recycled. The rest ends up in a landfill.









The collage above is made up of photos of my daily plastic use. It is very scary how it is almost impossible to avoid it. From the moment I woke up until I go to sleep, plastic is all around. The phone I used to take the photos is also made of plastic.




Dudas, S. (2018). Microplastics are everywhere
Haab, S., & Haab, K. (n.d.).
Snider, M. (2022, March 24). Microplastics have been found in air, water, food and now...human blood. USA Today.