Plastic waste is a global environmental problem, the consequences of our increasing plastic use are visible worldwide. Therefore, water pollution (oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater) and plastics in the environment are among the top environmental issues of concern to many people. However, many myths, misconceptions, and ambiguities circulate in the plastics debate. This 20-part poster series sets out to clarify some of these issues. Join us for a fact check – would you have known?

• Plastic myth #1: Germany is the recycling world champion.
• Plastic myth #2: Bioplastics rot in the compost heap.
• Plastic myth #3: Plastic / microplastic is toxic.
• Plastic Myth #4: Rivers, seas and the ocean can be cleaned of trash.
• Plastic Myth #5: Carelessly discarded plastic waste is a problem of poorer countries.
• Plastic Myth #6: All materials are more environmentally friendly than plastic.
• Plastic Myth #7: There is microplastic in my tap water!?
• Plastic Myth #8: Cigarette filters rot in the environment.
• Plastic Myth #9: Recycled plastic can be used just like newly produced plastic.
• Plastic Myth #10: Plastic is a bad material.
• Plastic Myth #11: Huge, interconnected carpets of trash float in the oceans.
• Plastic Myth #12: Mainly consumers are responsible for reducing plastic waste.
• Plastic myth #13: Microplastic enters the environment mainly through cosmetics (e.g. scrubs, shower gel).
• Plastic Myth #14: Microplastics are not visible to the naked eye.
• Plastic Myth #15: Buying an unwrapped cucumber is always more sustainable than buying one wrapped in plastic.
• Plastic Myth #16: If I leave my plastic trash in the park, it will be picked up by the trash collectors.
• Plastic Myth #17: Wrapping paper is disposed of in the paper trash.
• Plastic Myth #18: Recycling is the best solution to global plastic pollution. We just need to recycle a lot more plastics.
• Plastic Myth #19: Wet wipes can easily be flushed down the toilet.
• Plastic Myth #20: The plastic crisis has nothing to do with the climate crisis!

The poster series was developed for the theme day of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment".

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research launched the major research focus "Plastics in the Environment - Sources - Sinks - Solutions" back in 2017 to address the still patchy state of knowledge. Since then, a total of 20 joint research projects with more than 100 participating institutions from science, industry, and practice have dealt with very different aspects of the problem.