Microplastics are making their way into organics fertilisers that are used in both domestic and agricultural settings ( Getty )
Many organic fertilisers being applied to gardens and farms contain tiny fragments of plastic, according to a new study.
Widely considered a problem affecting the oceans, this work suggests microplastics may actually be far more pervasive.
Having entered the soil, the scientists behind the study have warned these tiny fragments could end up in the food we eat.
The production of organic fertilisers is generally considered environmentally friendly as it involves recycling food waste from households and other sources to make useful products that can be used to grow more food.
However, contamination of the waste used to produce these fertilisers – which are used by gardeners and farmers alike – means tiny microplastics are making their way into the soil.
“One example is people use plastic bags and then put everything together in the bin, and then this is entering the waste treatment plant and ending up in the fertilisers,” Professor Ruth Freitag, one of the study’s authors, told The Independent.
