„Plastic Planet“ – in every sphere we find plastic residues! Copyright by dottedhippo. Getty Images.

Microplastics is everywhere

Update: Release of environmentally harmful microplastics to be drastically reduced - Public consultation on the "Microplastics Action Plan" until 4 March 2022 Submit comments on the plan

Update: Release of environmentally harmful microplastics to be drastically reduced - Public consultation on the "Action Plan Microplastics" until 4 March 2022 Submit comments on the plan.

The Ministry of Climate Protection (BMK) launches the public consultation on the new "Action Plan Microplastics". With a comprehensive package of measures, the release of microplastics into the environment is to be drastically reduced in order to protect nature in Austria. Until 4 March 2022, interested persons, associations and companies as well as all other interested stakeholders from science, authorities but also private individuals can submit comments on the plans.

"Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have been found in the environment, in our food and even already in the human body. This can lead to far-reaching consequences for our health and the environment - especially since the long-term effects and damage have hardly been researched yet," says Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler. Nevertheless, she said, microplastics still very often enter the environment in an uncontrolled way - through cosmetic products, tyre abrasion or when washing clothes. "We must prevent this in the future. That is why we will now take action against the pollution of our nature with the Microplastics Action Plan."

The action plan includes, for example, a significant change in sewage sludge management. In future, sewage sludge, which is often heavily polluted with microplastics, will no longer be released into nature. Austria will also work consistently at the European level to ensure that microplastics are no longer allowed in detergents and cleaning agents, fertilisers or cosmetics. To support this development, the BMK also plans to intensify research and monitoring of microplastic pollution in the environment.

"With the launch of the public consultation, we are now bringing even more expertise on board. Involving the public - from science to businesses to citizens - is a very important step. And I am looking forward to many valuable comments," said Gewessler at the start of the consultation.

Click here for the consultation: https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/kunststoffe/mikroplastik.html

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that are smaller than 5 mm and can consist of different types of plastic. For example: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyamide (PA), Polyurethane (PU) and many other solid synthetic polymers. Abrasion from tires (rubber, synthetic rubber) is also considered microplastics.

Primary and secondary microplastics

Primary microplastics serve a purpose. The plastic particles are intentionally added to products such as cosmetics, detergents or paints. Less well known is its use in fertilizers or in the construction of artificial turf. The global release of primary microplastics into the ocean was estimated at 1.5 million tons per year (Mtons/year). The estimate ranges between 0.8 and 2.5 Mtons/year according to an optimistic or pessimistic scenario.

Secondary microplastics are created through abrasion and/or decay.

Plastic residues are unintentionally released into the environment by washing textiles, chipping paint or, for example, tire abrasion. They occur unintentionally during the processing of materials (e.g., cutting insulation material) or during the treatment of waste in sorting and recycling facilities. The degradation of larger plastic parts into smaller plastic fragments occurs through photodegradation and other weathering processes. Jambeck et al. (2015) reported that between 4.8 and 12.7 Mtons of plastic are released globally into the oceans every year because of mismanaged waste (secondary microplastics).

Plastic particles often end up in the sea or on the beach. Copyright by dottedhippo. Getty Images.

Plastic particles often end up in the ocean or on the beach. Copyright by dottedhippo. Getty Images.

Another secondary source is larger pieces of plastic that end up in the environment, such as from littering (i.e., careless discarding) of beverage and takeaway containers, which become brittle and break down into microplastics over time. The same mechanism is at work with films or tree covers used in agriculture, which are not collected at the end of their use or are no longer collectible. Losses can also occur during transportation (e.g., pellet loss during transshipment) and/or storage of products/wastes due to wind drifts, for example.

Distribution and fate in the environment

Deliberately added microplastics from products such as cosmetics, cleaners and paints are often transported into the sewage system with the rinse water after use, as are textile fibers from washing machine wastewater. Tire wear also ends up in the sewage system via street drains, along with littered plastic that has been washed away by rain or floods.

The wastewater is quite efficiently freed from microplastics in sewage treatment plants and separated with the sewage sludge. However, when the sewage sludge is recycled as fertilizer, the microplastics are returned to the environment and the soil. Increasingly, microplastics from secondary sources, above all from tire abrasion in traffic, are being observed on soils. In Austria, this amounts to around 6,800 tons (2015) annually. The majority is deposited within five meters to the left and right of roads, another part ends up in surface waters and the rest is incorporated into the soil. A shift into deep soil layers up to groundwater is conceivable, but corresponding data are missing. Atmospheric transport over long distances seems possible, as microplastics have penetrated even remote areas such as high mountain and polar regions.

Tire abrasion as the largest contributor to microplastics. Copyright Pat Herman. freeimages.

Tire abrasion as the largest contributor to microplastics.

Microplastics have now been detected in all environmental media worldwide: in the world's oceans and surface waters, in deep-sea sediments, in agricultural soils, and in diverse organisms. Food (shellfish, salt, etc.) and beverages can also contain microplastics. As a consequence, it has already been found in human stool.

Significance for environment and health

Microplastics pose various dangers and can pose a risk to the environment and health. On the one hand, harmful additives are contained in the plastic (e.g. plasticizers, flame retardants), which can be released into the environment. On the other hand, pollutants already present in the environment play a role, as they can adhere to the microplastic and accumulate. Ecotoxicological studies under laboratory conditions have found effects especially at high microplastic concentrations. However, studies on risk assessment give the all-clear for the time being, since such high microplastic quantities have not yet been measured in the environment.

Reducing inputs into the environment

In many cases, the key lies in the responsible use and disposal of plastics.

  • Product design makes a significant contribution, for example by providing products without added microplastics. Washing machines with suitable microplastic filters reduce the discharge of microplastics into wastewater.
  • Curbing littering and conscious consumer behavior have a direct positive impact on the microplastics problem. Those who pay attention to fuel-saving driving in car traffic thus reduce tire abrasion as a side effect.

Littering - in this case along 50m of roadside in rural areas.

Littering, in this case along 50m of roadside in rural areas.

  • At the operational level, the release of microplastics can be achieved through technical measures (e.g., filters) as well as through special training of skilled personnel. For example, the "Zero Pellet Loss" pact achieved the reduction of losses of raw material (decanting, transport, wastewater).
  • Action Plan Microplastics 2020-2024. The Action Plan is Austria's contribution to the implementation of the EU's "Green Deal", in particular the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy, the EU Plastic Strategy as well as the EU Action Plan on Pollutant-Free Air, Water and Soil. Action on microplastics also represents a contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Work on the Microplastics Action Plan has already begun intensively under the leadership of the BMK. A draft will be available at the end of 2021.

The Austrian Ecolabel and microplastics

The Austrian Ecolabel has an impact on microplastics in various product areas. Here is a brief overview:

The technical input was provided by the Federal Environment Agency. Thank you! https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltthemen/stoffradar/was-ist-mikroplastik

Mikroplastik in der Umwelt, Statusbericht 2019. https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/publikationen/rep0727.pdf

Mikroplastik. https://www.ages.at/themen/rueckstaende-kontaminanten/mikroplastik

Vermeidung von Mikroplastik. https://www.umweltberatung.at/mikroplastik

Aktionsplan Mikroplastik. https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/kunststoffe/mikroplastik.htm

Jambeck, J.R., Andrady, A., Geyer, R., Narayan, R., Perryman, M., Siegler, T., Wilcox, C., Lavender Law, K. , (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, Science, 347, p. 768-771.