Plastics in the environment

Plastics are important materials, and the demand for and the consumption of plastic has been increasing for years. When plastics enter the environment, they can cause great damage to both ecosystems and living organisms. Meanwhile, plastics is found in oceans, rivers, lakes, and soil. One of the mains causes worldwide is the lack of insufficient waste and wastewater management but there are many other sources like tyre abrasion, films from agriculture, or plastic particles from cosmetics or cleaning materials. In addition, more and more plastic material enters the environment through littering. This paper shows – with regard to Germany - where we stand, what we need to do, what the research needs are, and which measures we can already implement in order to tackle the problem.