A key theme for why humans ban the use of plastic bags for food centers around the hidden microbial hazards that plastic waste harbors. As highlighted by the October 2024 commentary on harmful microbes thriving in the "plastisphere"—the microbial communities forming on plastic surfaces—there is growing concern that plastic waste is not just an environmental pollutant but also a public health threat.
Plastic provides an ideal surface for pathogenic viruses, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and other harmful microorganisms to thrive. When plastics are exposed to the environment, especially in conditions where they degrade into microplastics, they can attract and harbor dangerous pathogens. These microbes can persist and spread in ecosystems, potentially contaminating food and water supplies. This raises a critical issue: the health risk associated with plastic use, particularly in direct contact with consumables like food.
Banning plastic bags for food, therefore, can be seen as a preventive measure to minimize the risk of food contamination by pathogenic microbes. As our understanding of the risks posed by plastic pollution deepens, the biohazardous nature of plastics becomes more apparent, reinforcing the urgency to shift towards safer, more sustainable alternatives to protect human health and the environment.
A fisher in Bangkalan, Indonesia, docks at a beach strewn with plastic waste. Credit: Suryanto Suryanto/Anadolu/Getty
What harmful microbes are lurking in the world’s 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste?
Pathogenic viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria thrive on plastic. The biohazard risks of this ‘plastisphere’ shouldn’t be overlooked in efforts to tackle the pollution crisis.
In June, more than 2,000 volunteers participated in the 2024 Global Ocean Cleanup campaign and netted nearly 40 tonnes of plastic debris from just some 80 kilometres of ocean and coasts across the world, including sites from Vietnam to California. Although representing one week’s hard work for the volunteers, such initiatives are a drop in the ocean of plastic waste that is generated each year — about 400 million tonnes, equivalent to the weight of all adult humans currently on Earth.