Recycling can release massive amounts of microplastics, finds study, raising questions about sustainability

Recycling has long been touted by the plastics industry as a solution to the burgeoning problem of plastic waste, but a new study challenges this assumption, and has found that recycling itself releases massive amounts of microplastics.

The study, conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and published in the Journal of Hazardous Material Advances, analysed wastewater samples from a state-of-the-art recycling plant in the UK, and found that microplastics released in the water samples amounted to 13 per cent of plastic processed at the recycling plant.

Based on this, the scientists estimated that the facility could be releasing up to 75 billion plastic particles in each cubic metre of wastewater.

"I was incredibly shocked," lead researcher Erina Brown told The Guardian on the findings of the study.

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"It’s scary because recycling has been designed in order to reduce the problem and to protect the environment. This is a huge problem we’re creating," she added.

The researchers also tested the water before and after the recycling plant installed a water filtration system, and found that the filter managed to reduce the concentration of microplastics in water from 13 per cent to 6 per cent, thereby indicating that filtration systems could help address but not entirely eliminate the issue.

In addition to finding microplastics in wastewater around the facility, the scientists also found high levels of microplastics in the air around the facility, with 61 per cent said particles being less than 10 microns in size—something that has been found to be a cause for illness among humans.

"More than 90 per cent of the particles we found were under 10 microns and 80 per cent were under 5 microns. These are digestible by so many different organisms and found to be ingested by humans," Brown told The Guardian, commenting on the size of the particles found.

While the study analysed microplastics released by one recycling plant in the UK, researchers expressed concern about the situation worldwide.

"An important consideration is what other plants globally are emitting. This is something we really need to find out," Brown further said, adding that findings from the facility analysed in the US represented a "best case scenario".

Microplastics are defined as any particle of plastic measuring less than 5 mm, and has been found virtually everywhere across the planet, from the Arctic snow to the depths of the ocean. Despite their minuscule size, microplastics can be toxic for animals, plants, and even humans.