:


John,

Our world is filling with microplastics. They're in our waterways, in our bodies, in the air we breathe ... and now, studies show they're appearing in our plants too, hampering growth and reducing crop yield.[1]

But how did microplastics end up in our farmland?

The answer is stranger (and grosser) than you might expect: Many of these microplastics could be entering our farms through fertilizer made out of sewage sludge.

Here's what you need to know.

Because these tiny plastic particles are so prolific -- finding their way into our food, air and bodies -- it means that they often end up being flushed down the drain with the rest of the water that runs out of our homes. From there, they rush down the pipe into sewage treatment plants.[2]

That wastewater (and everything that comes along with it) then goes through a water treatment process, coming out the other side as highly concentrated "sewage sludge." This substance is often used as a basis for fertilizer that ends up being spread across millions of acres of agricultural land all around the country.[3]

As this treated fertilizer makes its way across our nation's farms, it can also spread contaminants that were originally flushed down the drain in our homes. And that doesn't stop at microplastics. Studies have shown that PFAS "forever chemicals" could be hitching a ride into our farmlands through the same process.[4]

When microplastics begin to soak into the soil, they can accumulate around plant roots, making it harder for plants to soak up the water and nutrients they need to grow. Studies also show that this build up of plastic could make it harder for plants to photosynthesize.[5]

Anything that slows down plant growth could have major consequences to our food supply. If these trends continue, U.S. farmers could see a 4 to 13.5% yield loss per year in staple crops like corn and wheat over the next 25 years.[6]

The message is clear: As long as we continue to fill our lives with plastic we don't need, that plastic will continue to show up in places where it can do harm to us, our communities and our planet.

If we don't want to keep hearing about yet another place microplastics are showing up -- from the deepest parts of our ocean to our highest mountain peaks -- it's time to cut the tide off at the source and stop producing so much plastic in the first place.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

P.S. From phasing out the most wasteful single-use plastics, to urging companies to reduce plastic packaging on their shelves, we're running strategic campaigns to cut down on plastic pollution. Will you help make our work possible with a donation?
[link removed]

1. Grace Vickers, "Microplastics could harm food production," US PIRG, April 17, 2025.
[link removed]
2. Fahir Hassan, et al, "Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health," Science Direct, August 2023.
[link removed]
3. Fahir Hassan, et al, "Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health," Science Direct, August 2023.
[link removed]
4. Joshua A. Bickel, Sean Murphy, "Residue from human waste has long wound up as farm fertilizer. Some neighbors hate it," AP News, March 26, 2025.
[link removed]
5. Grace Vickers, "Microplastics could harm food production," US PIRG, April 17, 2025.
[link removed]
6. Fahir Hassan, et al, "Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health," Science Direct, August 2023.
[link removed]




-----------------------------------------------------------

Your donation will power our dedicated staff of organizers, policy experts and attorneys who drive all of our campaigns in the public interest, from banning toxic pesticides and moving us beyond plastic, to saving our antibiotics and being your consumer watchdog, to protecting our environment and our democracy. None of our work would be possible without the support of people just like you.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join us on Facebook: [link removed]
Follow us on Twitter: [link removed]

U.S. PIRG
Main Office: 1543 Wazee St., Suite 460, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 801-0582
Federal Advocacy Office: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl., Washington, DC 20003, (202) 546-9707
Member Questions or Requests: 1-800-838-6554
If you want us to stop sending you email then follow this link -- [link removed]