microplastic

Definitions

Small particles of plastic (typically less than 5 mm) produced by the degradation of plastic products, found in high levels in the marine environment and increasingly throughout all environments and in food and drinks.

countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Huge amounts of plastic waste⟳ are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount⟳ Everest to the deepest oceans.”

“Sailors testing the waters during the Ocean Race⟳, which travels through some of the world’s most remote ocean environments, have⟳ found microplastics in every sample.”

““Even under a variety of policies, including plastic product reduction, waste⟳ management, and environmental recycling, microplastic pollution is irreversible and escalating.””

CEFR level