More than 90% of plastic waste ends up in the soil, where it breaks down into microplastics that are invisible to the naked eye. Microplastic pollution of the soil poses a severe threat to soil health ...

Tiny plastic particles are making their way into our soils, carrying with them hazardous additives and pollutants. These substances have been detected in food crops like lettuce, wheat, and carrots, ...

Plastic films widely used in agricultural production are becoming one of the main sources of microplastic pollution in soil. These plastic fragments remaining in the soil can not only disrupt soil ...

Plastic weed barriers suppress weeds initially but become problematic over time. Watch for the easily detectable signs that your weed barrier is failing you and take action to replace it. Alternatives ...

Biodegradable plastics (BPs) are widely promoted as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics—but how “green” are they, really? As the world grapples with escalating plastic pollution, major ...

It’s seed-starting and planting season, and that means it’s likely buying season. This year, consider not only the gardening gear and plants you bring home, but also whether they’re made of, contained ...

(a) Height profile (z) of mean local gravimetric microplastic (MP) content (n = 3) inside samples. (b) Height profile (z) of mean water saturation Θ (volume water/volume pore space) of each treatment ...

Plastic that behaves like a sturdy fork on your picnic table and then quietly melts back into the soil sounds like science fiction, yet chemists are now doing something close by turning ordinary milk ...

Meteorologist Jacob Dickey is joined by Sarah Kaper from the Champaign County Farm Bureau Foundation’s Ag in the Classroom program to learn more about how plastics impact our soil and the importance ...

For many people, “plastic pollution” calls to mind pictures of turtles and other marine life drowning in single-use plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets. My own research looks at how the same ...