Microplastics in Soil: Unveiling the Threat Within the Earth’s Crucial Ecosystem

Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size are known as microplastics, which are considered as major global environmental contaminants affecting many different ecosystems. The sources, impacts, and possible remediation techniques of microplastics in solid environments are examined in this chapter. Microplastics in solid environments come from a variety of human activities, including the decomposition of bigger plastic trash, industrial processes, and plastic littering. Microplastics have a variety of negative effects on solid environments, including harm to wildlife, ecosystems, and human health. Microplastics have the potential to have cascade effects on ecosystem functioning by altering nutrient cycling, upsetting soil structure, and impairing soil biota. Microplastic consumption can lead to bioaccumulation and biomagnification across the food chain, endangering higher trophic level species including humans. Numerous remediation techniques, including biological techniques like phytoremediation and microbial degradation, as well as physical techniques like filtration, sediment dredging, and soil amendments, reduce the effects of microplastics in solid environment. Addressing the underlying causes of microplastic contamination requires significant efforts to decrease the amount of plastic trash that is introduced into the environment through better waste management techniques and legislative changes.