Sources of Particulate Plastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the sources and pathways of particulate plastics within the terrestrial environment. It discusses the sources of terrestrial-based primary and secondary particulate plastics, as well as the pathways that they take before reaching the terrestrial ecosystem. Particulate plastics can be further classified based on the origin, as follows: primary particulate plastics or secondary particulate plastics. Primary particulate plastics are manufactured for their inclusion in industrial products. Particulate plastics can also facilitate the long-range transport of contaminants to aquatic environments. Contaminants can adsorb onto, or desorb from, the surface of particulate plastics, and it is this process that enables transportation. Particulate plastics can enter the terrestrial and aquatic environment through a variety of sources. As mentioned earlier, particulate plastics are not often static; instead, they can move between the atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. Indiscriminate disposal in landfills and littering are sources of particulate plastics that arise from human carelessness.