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122887 - Fig 16 - The breakdown of plastic bottle

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Foamed plastic: synthetic resin converted into a spongelike mass with a closed-cell or open-cell structure, either of which may be flexible or rigid, used for a variety of products including cushioning materials, air filters, furniture, toys, thermal insulation, sponges, plastic boats, panels for buildings, and even lightweight beams. Under appropriate conditions almost any thermosetting or thermoplastic resin can be converted into a foam. Plastics that are commonly foamed include vinyls, polystyrene, polyethylene, phenolics, silicones, cellulose acetate, and urethanes.

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Plastic microbeads are a category of microplastics, which are generally very, very small—and are sometimes even difficult to see. Microbeads also are often wrongly confused with plastic pellets, which are the basic form of plastic raw materials used in manufacturing, and are generally in the shape of a cylinder or disk, and around 2-3 millimeters in size.

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microfibres can cause gut blockage, physical injury, changes to oxygen levels in cells in the body, altered feeding behaviour and reduced energy levels, which impacts growth and reproduction. Due to this, the balance of whole ecosystems can be affected, with the impacts travelling up the food chain and sometimes making their way into the food we eat! It has been suggested that people that eat European bivalves (such as mussels, clams and oysters) can ingest over 11,000 microplastic particles per year.

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Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes and in biomedical and health-science research.

Microbeads can cause plastic particle water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals in freshwater and ocean water. In the US, the Microbead-Free Waters Act 2015 phases out microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics by July 2017. Several other countries have also banned microbeads from rinse-off cosmetics, including Canada, France, India, New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

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Microfibres are a type of microplastic released when we wash synthetic clothing – clothing made from plastic such as polyester and acrylic. These fibres detach from our clothes during washing and go into the wastewater. The wastewater then goes to sewage treatment facilities. As the fibres are so small, many pass through filtration processes and make their way into our rivers and seas.

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Fragments are the middle stade of the plastic bottles melting. First the plastic bottles brake into smaller pieces(fragments).Then they brake even more and they turn into microplastic.

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What are Microbeads

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Νew research has shown that the water-absorbing green floral foam used by florists is contributing to the world's microplastic problem

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Where can I find microbeads in my products?

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Where can I find microbeads in my products?

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Microbeads had been used for many years to replace natural exfoliating materials in hand cleansers, toothpaste, shampoo and a range of other products.

However, their increased use also sparked concerns with scientists indicating they were liable to pass through water treatment works and into the environment, where they were likely to be ingested by marine creatures.

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Nurdles are by definition a microplastic,because they are less than 5mm.Although nurdles start out as microplastics,over time,like other plastics they will become weathered and fragment into even smaller particles.UV,oxygen,wind and wave action all contribute to making plastic more brittle causing it to discolour and fragment.

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Microbeads are most commonly used in personal care products as cleansers and exfoliants. Microbeads have also been added to some facial scrubs and body washes because of the great scrubbing power they contribute.Microbeads are present in some facial scrubs, toothpaste and body wash, but they may also be in lipstick, eyeliner, sunscreen, deodorant, nail polish and other personal care products. They can also be present in a range of abrasive household cleaning products.

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Hidden plastics in everyday items | Friends of the Earth

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Hidden plastics are everywhere - lurking where you least expect. These everyday items all contain plastic. But how many are you aware of?