Tag: University of Portsmouth

Researchers find microplastics in 100 per cent of donkey faecal samples tested

Stuart Mitchell

A study by the University of Portsmouth has revealed for the first time the extent of the devastating impact of plastic pollution on livestock, humans and the wider environment on the Kenyan island of Lamu.   The study was carried out by members of the Revolution Plastics Institute at The University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with The Donkey Sanctuary, The Flop Flopi Project and the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.   Until now the impact of plastic waste on terrestrial working animals has been largely overlooked with most of the…

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Counting plastic reveals hidden waste and sparks action

Stuart Mitchell

Online supermarket shopping is fuelling Britain’s plastic waste crisis because packaging is less visible to consumers, according to new research from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth.  The study found that nearly half of UK households underestimate how much plastic they throw away each week, a phenomenon researchers call “plastic blindness”. Those who relied most heavily on online grocery deliveries were especially likely to be shocked by the volume of waste they consumed.  “We believe plastic blindness is a coping strategy,” explains lead author Dr Kate Whitman of the Revolution Plastics Institute. “Consumers have…

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Road pollution ‘stressing’ ocean life with complex chemical cocktails, new study finds

Stuart Mitchell

Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny marine algae known as diatoms – single-celled plants that produce oxygen and support entire ocean ecosystems. The study focused on a species called Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that like others,…

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Microplastics are everywhere – but our methods to track them are all over the place

Stuart Mitchell

A new study from the University of Portsmouth has highlighted the growing role of citizen science in tackling one of the planet’s most pervasive pollution problems: microplastics and mesoplastics. While researchers often warn that a lack of standardised protocols risks muddying the waters, this research shows that public involvement could be key to plugging the data gaps and that comparability rather than conformity is key. The study compared three leading sampling protocols across coastal sites in southern England. These methods included two citizen science sampling protocols, the Big Microplastic Survey…

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UK is falling behind international efforts as microplastics infiltrate food, bodies, and ecosystems

Stuart Mitchell

Researchers warn the UK is falling behind international efforts as microplastics infiltrate food, bodies, and ecosystems The UK government must urgently draw up a comprehensive national strategy to tackle microplastic pollution or risk falling further behind international efforts to address one of the most pervasive environmental threats of our time, researchers have warned. A new policy brief, delivered to MPs earlier this  month by the University of Portsmouth’s Global Plastics Policy Centre, outlines the growing scale of the crisis and calls for a coordinated UK roadmap with clear targets and…

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