PLASTIC WASTE AND ITS HARMFUL IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS

Abstract

Plastic waste has become one of the most widespread environmental threats of the twenty-first century. Every year, millions of tons of plastic products are produced, consumed, and discarded, with only a small fraction being properly recycled. Because plastic is highly durable and resistant to natural decomposition, it accumulates in soil, rivers, oceans, and even remote ecosystems such as polar regions and mountain habitats. Once released into the environment, plastic debris fragments into microplastics, which can persist for hundreds of years and easily enter food chains.