Plastic Pollution and Waste Course

This short course explains where plastic pollution comes from, how it behaves in the sea and what can be done about it. You will study the history of the plastics industry, the chemical classification of polymers, life cycle assessment, the properties that make plastics persistent and additives such as phthalates, bisphenols and flame retardants; the transport of plastic waste from river basins to the open ocean, garbage patches in the great ocean gyres, fragmentation, photodegradation and ghost nets; primary and secondary microplastics, synthetic fibers, ingestion and bioaccumulation and the role of microplastics as carriers of pollutants and pathogens; the ecological and socio-economic impacts on wildlife, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and human health; and the policies, regulations and awareness campaigns that respond to them.

What sets this course apart: it follows plastic through its whole life cycle, from production to its final fate in the ocean; it pays particular attention to microplastics and nanoplastics, the least visible but most widespread part of the problem; it connects the science of pollution with its economic and social consequences; and it covers the legal and policy framework, from the global plastics treaty negotiations to single-use plastics rules, together with practical tools for awareness campaigns and citizen science monitoring of marine litter.