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PLASTICS, ART, SOCIAL SCIENCE
Boetzkes, Amanda. Plastic Capitalism: Contemporary Art and the Drive to Waste. MIT Press, 2019.
Boetzkes, Amanda and Andrew Pendakis. Visions of Eternity: Plastic and Ontology of Oil. E-Flux Journal, 2015.
Cobb, Allison. Plastic: An Autobiography, Nightboat Books, 2021.
Corcoran, Patricia and Kelly Jazvac. The consequence that is plastiglomerate. Nature Reviews: Earth and Environment, 1(1), 2020.
De Loughry, Treasa. Polymeric chains and petrolic imaginaries: world literature, plastic, and negative value. Green Letters, 23(2), 179-193, 2019.
Davis, Heather. Plastic Matter. Duke University Press, 2022.
Davis, Heather. Imperceptibility and Accumulation: Political Strategies of Plastic. Camera Obscura, 2016.
Davis, Heather. Plastic: Accumulation without Metabolism. Placing the Golden Spike, Milwaukee: INOVA, 2015.
Gabrys, Jennifer, Gay Hawkins, and Mike Michael. Accumulation: The Material Politics of Plastic. Abringden Oxen: Routledge, 2013.
Ghosh, Ranjan. The Plastic Turn, 2022
Huang, Michelle. Ecologies of entanglement in the great pacific garbage patch. Journal of Asian American Studies, 20(1), 95-117.
Irr, Caren(ed.). Life in Plastic: Artistic Responses to Petromodernity, University of Minnesota Press, 2021
Jazvac, Kelly (Interview). Plastiglomerate, the Anthropocene’s New Stone. Hyperallergic, 2015.
Kane, Carolyn L. “Plastic Shine: From Prosaic Miracle to Retrograde Sublime.” Politics of Shine in Supercommunity E-Flux Journal
Konrad, Tatiana. Plastics, Environment, Culture and the Politics of Waste. Edinburgh University Press, 2023.
Lepawsky, Josh and Max Liboiron. Why Discards, Diverse Economies, and Degrowth? Society & Space Open Forum
Liboiron, Max. Pollution is Colonialism. Duke University Press, 2021.
Liboiron, Max. How plastic is a function of colonialism.Teen Vogue, 2018.
Murphy, Michelle. Alterlife and decolonial chemical relations. Cultural Anthropology, 32(4), 494-503, 2017.
Robertson, Kirsty. Plastiglomerate. E-Flux Journal, 2016.
Robertson, Kirsty. Kelly Jazvac: Plastiglomerates. Durable Good, 2017.
Robertson, Kirsty. Crude Culture: Canada and Creative Industries. Fuse Magazine 34.2, Spring, 2008, 12-21.
Shadaan, Reena & Michelle Murphy EDC’s as industrial chemicals and settler colonial structures: Towards a decolonial feminist approach. Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, 6(1), 2019.
Wood, Kelly. The Great Lakes: Accumulations. Photography and Culture, 12(1), 125-131, 2019.
FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES
The Story of Plastic. Directed by Deia Schlosberg. 2019.
Dirty Money. Episode 12 “Point Comfort” Directed by Margaret Brown. Netflix.
Plastic China. Directed by Jiuliang Wang. 2016.
Plastic Bag. By Bahrani, Written by Ramin, and Jennie Jenkins. Directed by Ramin Bahrani. Performed by Werner Herzog. 2009.
Human Planet: How the Earth Made Us. Directed by Matthew Dyas. Performed by Iain Stewart. 2010.
Plastic Oceans. Directed by Craig Leeson. 2011.
Tough Truth about Plastic Pollution. Performed by Dianna Cohen. Ted Talk. October 2010.
Waste Land. Directed by Lucy Walker, Karen Harley and Joao Jardim. Performed by Vik Muniz. January 21, 2011.
PLASTICS PRODUCTION
Frederic Bauer and Tobias Dan Nielson, “Oil Companies Are Ploughing Money into Fossil-Fuelled Plastics Production at a Record Rate,” The Conversation, November 2, 2021.
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science advances, 3(7), e1700782.
Sicotte, D. M. (2020). From cheap ethane to a plastic planet: Regulating an industrial global production network. Energy Research & Social Science, 66, 101479.
PLASTICS DISPOSAL
Tangri, N. (2023). Waste incinerators undermine clean energy goals. PLOS Climate, 2(6), e0000100.
PLASTICS POLLUTION IN FRESHWATER AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTS
Arturo, I.A. and Corcoran, P.L. (2021) Categorization of plastic debris on sixty-six beaches of the Laurentian Great Lakes, North America. Environmental Research Letters, ERL-112105.
Ballent, A., Corcoran, P. L., Madden, O., Helm, P. A., & Longstaffe, F. J. (2016). Sources and sinks of microplastics in Canadian Lake Ontario nearshore, tributary and beach sediments. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 110(1), 383–395.
Belontz, S.L. and Corcoran, P.L., 2021. Prioritizing Suitable Quality Assurance and Control Standards to Reduce Laboratory Airborne Microfibre Contamination in Sediment Samples. Environments, 8:89; https://doi.org/10.3390/
Biesinger, M.C., Corcoran, P.L., and Walzak, M.J. (2010). The degradation of plastic on marine and lacustrine beaches. Surface and Interface Analysis, 43, 443-445.
Blickley, L. C., Currie, J. J., & Kaufman, G. D. (2016). Trends and drivers of debris accumulation on Maui shorelines: Implications for local mitigation strategies. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 105(1), 292–298.
Carson, H. S., Colbert, S. L., Kaylor, M. J., & McDermid, K. J. (2011). Small plastic debris changes water movement and heat transfer through beach sediments. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(8), 1708–1713.
Corcoran, P.L., 2021. Degradation of microplastics in the environment. Rocha-Santos, T., Costa, M. Mouneyrac, C. (Eds.), Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-
Corcoran, P. L. (2015). Benthic plastic debris in marine and fresh water environments. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 17(8), 1363–1369.
Corcoran, P.L., Norris, T., Ceccanese, T., Walzak, M.J., Helm, P.A., Marvin C.H.(2015). Hidden plastics of Lake Ontario, Canada and their potential preservation in the sediment record. Environmental Pollution, 204, 17-25.
Corcoran, P.L., Biesinger, M.C., and Grifi, M. (2009). Plastics and beaches: a degrading relationship. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 58, 80-84.
Cooper, D. A., & Corcoran, P. L. (2010). Effects of mechanical and chemical processes on the degradation of plastic beach debris on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(5), 650–654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.12.026
Davison B., Batista, K., Samrah, Rios Mendoza, L.M., Pujara, N. (2022) Microplastic contamination of sediments across and within three beaches in western Lake Superior. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 48(6) 1563-1572, 2022.
Dris, R., Imhof, H., Sanchez, W., Gasperi, J., Galgani, F., Tassin, B., & Laforsch, C. (2015). Beyond the ocean: Contamination of freshwater ecosystems with (micro-)plastic particles. Environmental Chemistry, 12(5), 539–550. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN14172
Dris, R., Gasperi, J., Rocher, V., Saad, M., Renault, N., & Tassin, B. (2015). Microplastic contamination in an urban area: A case study in Greater Paris. Environmental Chemistry, 12(5), 592–599. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN14167
Eerkes-Medrano, D., Thompson, R. C., & Aldridge, D. C. (2015). Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs. Water Research, 75, 63–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.012
Goldberg, E. D. (1997). Plasticizing the Seafloor: An Overview. Environmental Technology, 18(2), 195–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593331808616527
Kunz, A., Walther, B. A., L??wemark, L., & Lee, Y. C. (2016). Distribution and quantity of microplastic on sandy beaches along the northern coast of Taiwan. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 111(1–2), 126–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.07.022
Kusui, T., & Noda, M. (2003). International survey on the distribution of stranded and buried litter on beaches along the Sea of Japan. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 47(1–6), 175–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(02)00478-2
Lee, J., Hong, S., Song, Y. K., Hong, S. H., Jang, Y. C., Jang, M., … Shim, W. J. (2013). Relationships among the abundances of plastic debris in different size classes on beaches in South Korea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 77(1–2), 349–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.08.013
Lozano-Hernández, E. A., Ramírez-Álvarez, N., Rios Mendoza, L. M., Macías-Zamora, J. V., Mejía- Trejo, A., Beas-Luna, R., & Hernández-Guzmán, F. A. (2024). Kelp forest food webs as hot spots for the accumulation of microplastic and polybrominated diphenyl ether pollutants. Environmental research, 257, 119299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119299
Mason, S. A., Kammin, L., Eriksen, M., Aleid, G., Wilson, S., Box, C., … Riley, A. (2016). Pelagic plastic pollution within the surface waters of Lake Michigan, USA. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42(4), 753–759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2016.05.009
Mathalon, A., & Hill, P. (2014). Microplastic fibers in the intertidal ecosystem surrounding Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 81(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.018
McCormick, A., Hoellein, T. J., Mason, S. A., Schluep, J., & Kelly, J. J. (2014). Microplastic is an abundant and distinct microbial habitat in an urban river. Environmental Science and Technology, 48(20), 11863–11871. https://doi.org/10.1021/es503610r
Michielssen, M. R., Michielssen, E. R., Ni, J., & Duhaime, M. B. (2016). Fate of microplastics and other small anthropogenic litter (SAL) in wastewater treatment plants depends on unit processes employed. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2(6), 1064–1073. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6EW00207B
Morét-Ferguson, S., Law, K. L., Proskurowski, G., Murphy, E. K., Peacock, E. E., & Reddy, C. M. (2010). The size, mass, and composition of plastic debris in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(10), 1873–1878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.020
Moreira, F. T., Balthazar-Silva, D., Barbosa, L., & Turra, A. (2016). Revealing accumulation zones of plastic pellets in sandy beaches. Environmental Pollution, 218, 313–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.07.006
Naji, A., Esmaili, Z., & Khan, F. R. (2016). Plastic debris and microplastics along the beaches of the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 114(2), 1057–1062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.11.032
Qiu, Q., Peng, J., Yu, X., Chen, F., Wang, J., & Dong, F. (2015). Occurrence of microplastics in the coastal marine environment: First observation on sediment of China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 98(1–2), 274–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.07.028
Retama, I., Jonathan, M. P., Shruti, V. C., Velumani, S., Sarkar, S. K., Roy, P. D., & Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F. (2016). Microplastics in tourist beaches of Huatulco Bay, Pacific coast of southern Mexico. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 113(1–2), 530–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.08.053
Ribic, C. A., Sheavly, S. B., Rugg, D. J., & Erdmann, E. S. (2012). Trends in marine debris along the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawai’i 1998-2007. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 64(5), 994–1004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.02.008
Saquing, J. M., Saquing, C. D., Knappe, D. R. U., & Barlaz, M. A. (2010). Impact of plastics on fate and transport of organic contaminants in landfills. Environmental Science and Technology, 44(16), 6396–6402. https://doi.org/10.1021/es101251p
Talvitie, J., & Heinonen, M. (2014). Preliminary study on synthetic microfibers and particles at a municipal waste water treatment plant. Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission HELCOM, 14 p.
Van, A., Rochman, C. M., Flores, E. M., Hill, K. L., Vargas, E., Vargas, S. A., & Hoh, E. (2012). Persistent organic pollutants in plastic marine debris found on beaches in San Diego, California. Chemosphere, 86(3), 258–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.09.039
Xie, M. L., Aldenkortt, D., Wagner, J. F., & Rettenberger, G. (2006). Effect of plastic fragments on hydraulic characteristics of pretreated municipal solid waste. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 43(12), 1333–1343. https://doi.org/10.1139/t06-070
Zbyszewski, M., Corcoran, P. L., & Hockin, A. (2014). Comparison of the distribution and degradation of plastic debris along shorelines of the great lakes, north america. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40(2), 288-299. https://doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2014.02.012
Zhang, K., Su, J., Xiong, X., Wu, X., Wu, C., & Liu, J. (2016). Microplastic pollution of lakeshore sediments from remote lakes in Tibet plateau, China. Environmental Pollution, 219, 450–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.048
Zbyszewski, M., Corcoran P.L., Hockin, A. (2014). Comparison of the distribution and degradation of plastic debris along shorelines of the Great Lakes, North America. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40, 288-299.
Zbyszewski, M. and Corcoran, P.L., 2011. Distribution and degradation of fresh water plastic particles along the beaches of Lake Huron, Canada. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 220: 365-372.
PLASTICS & ORGANISMS
Anastasopoulou, A., Mytilineou, C., Smith, C. J., & Papadopoulou, K. N. (2013). Plastic debris ingested by deep-water fish of the Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 74, 11–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2012.12.00
Barnes, D. K. A. (2002). Biodiversity: Invasions by marine life on plastic debris. Nature, 416(6883), 808–809. https://doi.org/10.1038/416808a
Barnes, D. K. A., & Milner, P. (2005). Drifting plastic and its consequences for sessile organism dispersal in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Biology, 146(4), 815–825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1474-8
Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Halsband, C., & Galloway, T. S. (2011). Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(12), 2588–2597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.09.025
Frias, J. P. G. L., Otero, V., & Sobral, P. (2014). Evidence of microplastics in samples of zooplankton from Portuguese coastal waters. Marine Environmental Research, 95(November), 89–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.01.001
Gall, S. C., & Thompson, R. C. (2015). The impact of debris on marine life. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 92(1–2), 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.12.041
Gregory, M. R. (2009). Environmental implications of plastic debris in marine settings–entanglement, ingestion, smothering, hangers-on, hitch-hiking and alien invasions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2013–2025. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0265
Koelmans, A. A., Besseling, E., & Foekema, E. M. (2014). Leaching of plastic additives to marine organisms. Environmental Pollution, 187, 49–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.013
Lavers, J. L., Bond, A. L., & Hutton, I. (2014). Plastic ingestion by flesh-footed shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes): Implications for fledgling body condition and the accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals. Environmental Pollution, 187, 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.020
Liboiron, M., Liboiron, F., Wells, E., Richárd, N., Zahara, A., Mather, C., … Murichi, J. (2016). Low plastic ingestion rate in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from Newfoundland destined for human consumption collected through citizen science methods. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 113(1–2), 428–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.043
Oehlmann, J., Schulte-Oehlmann, U., Kloas, W., Jagnytsch, O., Lutz, I., Kusk, K. O., … Tyler, C. R. (2009). A critical analysis of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2047–2062. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0242
Possatto, F., Barletta, M., Costa, M., Ivar do Sul, J., & Dantas, D. (2011). Plastic debris ingestion by marine catfish: An unexpected fisheries impact. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 1098- 1102.
Prata, J.C., da Costa, J.P., Lopes, I., Duarte, A,C, Rocha-Satos T (2020). Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible health effects. Science of the Total Environment 792 134455.
Rochman, C. M., Hoh, E., Kurobe, T., & Teh, S. J. (2013). Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress. Scientific Reports, 3, 3263. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep03263
Rochman, C. M., Lewison, R. L., Eriksen, M., Allen, H., Cook, A. M., & Teh, S. J. (2014). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish tissue may be an indicator of plastic contamination in marine habitats. Science of the Total Environment, 476–477, 622–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.058
Ryan, P. G. (2008). Seabirds indicate changes in the composition of plastic litter in the Atlantic and south-western Indian Oceans. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56(8), 1406–1409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.05.004
Sacco, V. A., Zuanazzi, N. R., Selinger, A., Alliprandini da Costa, J. H., Spanhol Lemunie, É., Comelli, C. L., Abilhoa, V., Sousa, F. C., Fávaro, L. F., Rios Mendoza, L. M., de Castilhos Ghisi, N., & Delariva, R. L. (2024). What are the global patterns of microplastic ingestion by fish? A scientometric review. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 350, 123972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123972
Teuten, E. L., Saquing, J. M., Knappe, D. R. U., Barlaz, M. A., Jonsson, S., Björn, A., … Takada, H. (2009). Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2027–45. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0284
PLASTICS, CONTAMINATION, & HUMAN HEALTH
Engler, R. E. (2012). The complex interaction between marine debris and toxic chemicals in the ocean. Environmental Science and Technology, 46(22), 12302–12315. https://doi.org/10.1021/es3027105
Eze, C.G., Nwankwo, C.E., Dey, S. et al, 2024. Food chain microplastics contamination and impact on human health: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 22, 1889–1927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-024-01734-2
Gouin, T., Roche, N., Lohmann, R., & Hodges, G. (2011). A Thermodynamic Approach for Assessing the Environmental Exposure of Chemicals Absorbed to Microplastic. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(4), 1466–1472. https://doi.org/10.1021/es1032025
Mansilha, C., Silva, P., Rocha, S., Gameiro, P., Domingues, V., Pinho, C., & Ferreira, I. M. P. L. V. O. (2013). Bisphenol A migration from plastic materials: Direct insight of ecotoxicity in Daphnia magna. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 20(9), 6007–6018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1614-0
Landrigan, P. J., Dunlop, S., Treskova, M., Raps, H., Symeonides, C., Muncke, J., … & Rocklöv, J. (2025). The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics. The Lancet.
Yang, Z., Wang, M., Feng, Z. et al., 2023. Human microplastics exposure and potential health risks to target organs by different routes: a review. Current Pollution Reports, 9, 468–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-023-00273-8.
Zhang, X., Chang, H., Wiseman, S., He, Y., Higley, E., Jones, P., … Hecker, M. (2011). Bisphenol a disrupts steroidogenesis in human H295R cells. Toxicological Sciences, 121(2), 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfr061
PLASTICS POLLUTION TRANSPORT
Bergmann, M., Collard, F., Fabres, J., Gabrielsen, G. W., Provencher, J. F., Rochman, C. M., … & Tekman, M. B. (2022). Plastic pollution in the Arctic. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(5), 323-337.
Cable, R. N., Beletsky, D., Beletsky, R., Wigginton, K., Locke, B. W., & Duhaime, M. B. (2017). Distribution and modeled transport of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, the world’s largest freshwater resource. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 5, 45.
Zarfl, C., & Matthies, M. (2010). Are marine plastic particles transport vectors for organic pollutants to the Arctic? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(10), 1810–1814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.05.026
Zhang, W., Ma, X., Zhang, Z., Wang, Y., Wang, J., Wang, J., & Ma, D. (2015). Persistent organic pollutants carried on plastic resin pellets from two beaches in China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 99(1–2), 28–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.08.002
PLASTIC FUTURES
Allison, A. L., Ambrose-Dempster, E., T Aparsi, D., Bawn, M., Casas Arredondo, M., Chau, C., Chandler, K., Dobrijevic, D., Hailes, H., Lettieri, P. & Liu, C. (2020). The environmental dangers of employing single-use face masks as part of a COVID-19 exit strategy. UCL Press.
Borrelle, S. B., Rochman, C. M., Liboiron, M., Bond, A. L., Lusher, A., Bradshaw, H., & Provencher, J. F. (2017). Opinion: Why we need an international agreement on marine plastic pollution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(38), 9994-9997
Davis, Heather. Toxic progeny: The plastisphere and other queer futures. PhiloSOPHIA, 5(2), 231-250, 2019.
Directions, N. (2005). New Directions in Plastic Debris. Science, (November), 1117–1119. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.310.5751.1117b
Eagle, L., Hamann, M., & Low, D. R. (2015). The role of social marketing, marine turtles and sustainable tourism in reducing plastic pollution. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 107(1), 324–332.
Schlanger, Z. (2020). A New Plastic Wave is Coming to Our Shores. Audubon Magazine
Thompson, R. C., Moore, C. J., Vom Saal, F. S., & Swan, S. H. (2009). Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B, 364(2009), 2153–2166.
Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Ivar do Sul, J. A., Corcoran, P. L., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., … Yonan, Y. (2016). The geological cycle of plastics and their use as a stratigraphic indicator of the Anthropocene. Anthropocene, 13, 4–17.
COLLECTIVE ACTION
Algalita Marine Research Foundation
A Citizen’s Guide to Plastic Pollution
Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR)