Factsheet 18: Plastics in wastewater

More and more plastic is polluting the environment and endangering humans and animals. Current scientific studies in sewage treatment plants show that a large amount of different plastic products and plastic packaging ends up in the sewage system and in the environment through various pathways.

In factsheet 18, the researchers from the joint project InRePlast present their one-year research work in sewage treatment plants. They address frequently found products and packaging, entry pathways and countermeasures.

The InRePlast project investigates and classifies the occurrence of plastic parts of at least 1 mm in size in sewage treatment plants and road drainage systems in the municipalities of Aachen, Roetgen, Simmerath and Stollberg. Surveys and a laboratory experiment support the analyses. Based on this, proposals for environmental policy instruments to prevent the inputs are developed.

Factsheet 18 is available for download here.