As our plastic addiction continues to impact all corners of the globe, microplastics – tiny particles of plastic – that escape wastewater treatment plants have been found along our coastlines, throughout our water environment and in biosolids spread on land in Aotearoa New Zealand. Yet little is known about the long term impact on our environment - oceans, crops, soil and air and consequent health outcomes.

In this Tawara o te Wai podcast, host Jon Reed is joined by three experts to discuss the impact and risk of microplastic contamination, particularly in biosolids, and some of the efforts underway to try to eliminate this particularly difficult and long-term plague.

Joining Jon as co-host in this discussion is David Romilly, an associate engineer at Aurecon and chair of the Water New Zealand biosolids subgroup of the wastewater special interest group.

Their guests are environmental scientist Helena Ruffell, who’s been investigating the impact of microplastics in productive soil and Australian-based chemical engineer Deric Dignon who’s been involved in the development of Australia’s first carbonisation facility for biosolids.