People have been writing about the detrimental effects of plastics on marine ecosystems for at least 5 years (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21236477). Not only does big plastic get everywhere in our oceans with most of it being broken down over decades but we are apparently swilling tons of plastic microgranules down our drains. These particles are used in cosmetics for their abrasive properties. They are so tiny that they can be consumed by animal plankton. This means that they have the potential to appear throughout all the food chains in the seas without providing any energy to the feeders. They might even prove toxic or capable of mimicking some hormonal effects. I suspect that some of the plastics we are asked to recycle are converted for this use?
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