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Plastic Waste Degradation in Landfill Conditions: The Problem with Microplastics, and Their Direct and Indirect Environmental Effects
Open accessAbstract
As landfilling is a common method for utilizing plastic waste at its end-of-life, it is important to present knowledge about the environmental and technical complications encountered during plastic disposal, and the formation and spread of microplastics (MPs) from landfills, to better understand the direct and indirect effects of MPs on pollution. Plastic waste around active and former landfills remains a source of MPs. The landfill output consists of leachate and gases created by combined biological, chemical, and physical processes. Thus, small particles and/or fibers, including MPs, are transported to the surroundings by air and by leachate. In this study, a special focus was given to the potential for the migration and release of toxic substances as the aging of plastic debris leads to the release of harmful volatile organic compounds via oxidative photodegradation. MPs are generally seen as the key vehicles and accumulators of non-biodegradable pollutants. Because of their small size, MPs are quickly transported over long distances throughout their surroundings. With large specific surface areas, they have the ability to absorb pollutants, and plastic monomers and additives can be leached out of MPs; thus, they can act as both vectors and carriers of pollutants in the environment.
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“This method is gaining attention, primarily because thermoplastics make up the largest category of plastic waste.”
From Transforming Plastic Waste into Value: A Review of Management Strategies and Innovative Applications in Sustainable Construction (2025) · cites this paper as [33]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Wojnowska-Baryła, I., Bernat, K., & Zaborowska, M.
- Affiliations
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Sloneczna 45G, 10-709 Olsztyn, Poland
- University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (PL)
- Corresponding author
- Bernat, Katarzyna
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-10-14
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 13223
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9602440
- OpenAlex
- W4306376905
- Cited by
- 348
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 94 · 2025: 135 · 2024: 85 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 15.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Landfill Environmental Impact Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- microplastics, plastic waste, landfilling, leachate, landfill gas, photodegradation, volatile organic compounds, contaminant transport, environmental pollution, plastic aging
- MeSH terms
- Microplastics, Environmental Pollutants, Gases, Plastics, Refuse Disposal, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Volatile Organic Compounds, Waste Disposal Facilities
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