Assessment of road run-off and domestic wastewater contribution to microplastic pollution in a densely populated area (Flanders, Belgium).

Plastics are omnipresent in our daily life. Unfortunately, the produced plastics will partly end up in the environment including aquatic ecosystems. People often refer to littering or illegal waste dumping as sources of plastic emission to the environment.

Distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems in an urbanized region: A case study in Flanders (Belgium).

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging pollutant of concern in all known aquatic ecosystems. However, studies at a regional scale on MP pollution in freshwater systems and the necessary risk assessments are limited. Therefore, in this study, we examined microplastic concentrations, size distributions, and polymer types in surface waters and sediments in the geographic region Flanders (Belgium), as a case study for a densely populated region and one of the most developed parts of Europe.

Toward a Better Understanding of the Contribution of Wastewater Treatment Plants to Microplastic Pollution in Receiving Waterways.

Microplastics (1 µm-5 mm), are ubiquitous in daily-use products and regularly end up in the wastewater. The main part of the wastewater is treated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which allow for at least partial removal of microplastics. The present study aimed to understand the contribution of domestic wastewater to microplastic pollution in Flanders (Belgium) via two main discharge routes of microplastics: (1) the effluent, and (2) removed fractions.