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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Pollution and Environmental Quality

Microplastics

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˈmaɪkroʊˌplæstɪks/nounCommon term

In environment & climate, microplastics means: Very small pieces of plastic, less than 5 millimeters long, that come from larger items breaking down, synthetic clothing, tires or products such as cosmetics.

In Turkish: mikroplastikler

How it is used

Usually plural. Researchers find microplastics in seawater, soil, drinking water, food and human tissue. Primary microplastics are made small on purpose (such as microbeads); secondary microplastics form when bigger plastics break up. Even smaller pieces are called nanoplastics.

Example sentences

  1. Washing synthetic clothes releases microplastics into wastewater.

  2. The study found microplastics in every sample of sea salt it tested.

Common collocations

  • microplastic pollution
  • release microplastics
  • microplastics in the ocean
  • nanoplastics
  • single-use plasticPlastic items designed to be used once and then thrown away, such as bags, straws, cups, cutlery and much of today's packaging.
  • water pollutionContamination of rivers, lakes, seas or groundwater by substances such as sewage, industrial chemicals, fertilizers, oil or plastics that harm people and aquatic life.
  • pollutionThe presence in air, water or soil of harmful substances, or of noise, light or heat, at levels that damage people's health, wildlife or the environment.
  • biodegradableAble to be broken down naturally by bacteria, fungi and other living things into water, carbon dioxide and natural materials.

More terms: Pollution and Environmental Quality

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