Micro/Nanoplastics Pollution from Landfill Sites: A Comprehensive Review on the Formation, Distribution, Effects and Potential Mitigation

In recent years, landfills have become well-known worldwide as sanctuaries for various pollutants. Due to various reasons, landfills receive a massive amount of plastic daily. Then, this plastic waste is degraded, making it one of the most significant sources of microplastics (MPs) in landfill environments. Later, this enormous amount of MPs is dispersed over the landfills and contaminates nearby leachate, soil, groundwater, and aquatic bodies, posing a severe ecotoxicological risk. Besides, MPs can carry antibiotic-resistance genes and hazardous pollutants due to their affinity for organic and inorganic particles. Thus, landfills can be hubs for emerging diseases and destroy human health. Nevertheless, despite the large MP production and its significant ecotoxicological effects, not much deep attention has been drawn to this issue. Furthermore, some technologies, such as biochemical, flocculation, sedimentation, membrane filtration, coagulation, and oxidation photo-electrolysis, have been used recently to remove MPs from landfill environments, which have less efficiency than some of the newly invented technologies. Therefore, this book chapter provides a significant idea regarding the formation, detection, and distribution of MPs in surrounding environments. This book chapter also highlights these MPs’ associated environmental and health risks. In addition, this book chapter evaluates upgrading removal technologies of MPs from landfills. Overall, this book chapter focuses on the importance of adequately managing landfills, monitoring MP pollution, and implementing upgrading MP removal technologies. Furthermore, more research is needed regarding these issues for the betterment of Mother Nature.