Microparticle pollution in the light of polymer materials recycling

Polymer plastics have established a major sector in the global economy, fulfilling the needs of various industries, including packaging, construction, automotive, electronics, and healthcare. Due to a unique set of physical properties, those materials are durable, versatile, and enable large-scale low-cost production. However, as environmental awareness rises, the raw materials sector is encouraged to increase the contribution of sustainable products with a lower environmental impact. It is being conducted through various activities such as recycling, introducing biodegradable alternatives, and/or diversifying sources of raw materials. In this short review, a holistic approach to analyse current knowledge regarding conventional plastic microparticle emissions into the environment is presented, with a special regard to the correlation with the existing plastic waste recycling technologies. The re- view takes into account current legal provisions regarding increasing the use of recycled plastics and highlights the risks resulting from the increased release of microparticles after reprocessing, washing, use, etc. The presented research results encourage consideration of the possible consequences of polymer reuse.