The plastics process
How microplastics and plastic pellets get into the air, sea and soil
Degradation and pollution
Use and introduction to environment
Production of plastic items
Pellets created and connected
Sources
Fossil fuel production
Some plastics end up in unexpected places. The Synthetic Collective found plastic pelletts in areas around the Great Lakes with no nearby foundary, Kelly Evans researches long-travelled microplastics in the arctic and Dr. Patricia Corcoran studied surprising plastics and plastiglomerates in Hawaii.
Plastics create, and are, pollution
Patricia Corcoran's lab at Western University investigates microplastics found across the Great Lakes, the Thames River, the arctic and beyond. (Mitchell Fox/MMJC)
While many think of large plastics like bags, bottles and wrappers, plastic pollution also includes microplastics less than 5 mm in size. Patricia Corcoran considers these anthropogenic grains. Importantly, she adds, all plastics degrade. This means other chemicals and pollutants can fuse to them, including those harmful to living beings.
Plastic: Everything, everwhere
Patricia Corcoran keeps a rope and a lobster trap (each made of plastic polymers) with plastics and sediment fused onto them in her office (Mitchell Fox/MMJC)
Patricia Corcoran, a plastics researcher at Western University, says plastic is everywhere. Even reusable grocery bags, meant to replace single-use plastic ones, are made of plastic polymers. According to MadeInCanada.ca, only 16 per cent of plastic waste was recycled in Canada in 2022. Corcoran said the number might be 10-12 per cent.
Plastic Pellets (Aka "nurdles")
Plastic pellets are the bead-like building blocks for plastic items, made through polymerization of raw materials and recycled plastics. They come in various shapes, sizes, colours and polymers. They are sometimes found in the environment, often from spills.
Plastics come from fossil fuels
Over 99 per cent of plastics are made from chemicals (hydrocarbons) from fossil fuels or petrochemicals from oild. The refining process creates molomers that are integral to forming polymers, the key building block of plastics.
Making plastics
Polymers of various kinds are mixed with additives to create plastic items. The plastics industry is massive, deeply connected to fossil fuels and a major pollutant. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimated in 2024 that by 2050, plastic production could account for between 21 per cent and 31 per cent of the global carbon emission goal set to keep rising temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found in 2022 that the "business as usual approach" with plastic production is unsustainable, yet global plastic could triple by 2060.
Plastic Process Infographic
Mitchell Fox
Created on December 11, 2025
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Transcript
The plastics process
How microplastics and plastic pellets get into the air, sea and soil
Degradation and pollution
Use and introduction to environment
Production of plastic items
Pellets created and connected
Sources
Fossil fuel production
Some plastics end up in unexpected places. The Synthetic Collective found plastic pelletts in areas around the Great Lakes with no nearby foundary, Kelly Evans researches long-travelled microplastics in the arctic and Dr. Patricia Corcoran studied surprising plastics and plastiglomerates in Hawaii.
Plastics create, and are, pollution
Patricia Corcoran's lab at Western University investigates microplastics found across the Great Lakes, the Thames River, the arctic and beyond. (Mitchell Fox/MMJC)
While many think of large plastics like bags, bottles and wrappers, plastic pollution also includes microplastics less than 5 mm in size. Patricia Corcoran considers these anthropogenic grains. Importantly, she adds, all plastics degrade. This means other chemicals and pollutants can fuse to them, including those harmful to living beings.
Plastic: Everything, everwhere
Patricia Corcoran keeps a rope and a lobster trap (each made of plastic polymers) with plastics and sediment fused onto them in her office (Mitchell Fox/MMJC)
Patricia Corcoran, a plastics researcher at Western University, says plastic is everywhere. Even reusable grocery bags, meant to replace single-use plastic ones, are made of plastic polymers. According to MadeInCanada.ca, only 16 per cent of plastic waste was recycled in Canada in 2022. Corcoran said the number might be 10-12 per cent.
Plastic Pellets (Aka "nurdles")
Plastic pellets are the bead-like building blocks for plastic items, made through polymerization of raw materials and recycled plastics. They come in various shapes, sizes, colours and polymers. They are sometimes found in the environment, often from spills.
Plastics come from fossil fuels
Over 99 per cent of plastics are made from chemicals (hydrocarbons) from fossil fuels or petrochemicals from oild. The refining process creates molomers that are integral to forming polymers, the key building block of plastics.
Making plastics
Polymers of various kinds are mixed with additives to create plastic items. The plastics industry is massive, deeply connected to fossil fuels and a major pollutant. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimated in 2024 that by 2050, plastic production could account for between 21 per cent and 31 per cent of the global carbon emission goal set to keep rising temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found in 2022 that the "business as usual approach" with plastic production is unsustainable, yet global plastic could triple by 2060.