Commentary: Plastic pollution isn’t just trash – it’s alive with microbes that threaten our health
Plastics will not only choke coastlines but also incubate antibiotic resistance, disrupt food webs and infiltrate the human body, says SCELSE researcher Stephen Summers.
In this commentary, Dr Stephen Summers explains that plastics are not inert waste but biologically active hazards. His message is clear – cut down on single-use plastics, support cleanups, and push for stronger local action.
- Featured
- 08 Oct 2025
Plastics aren’t just trash — they’re alive with microbes that threaten our health. Dr Stephen Summers, SCELSE Snr Research Fellow, reveals how plastics become “living plastispheres” colonised by microbes that spread pathogens, concentrate toxic chemicals and accelerate antibiotic resistance, especially in tropical waters like Singapore’s.
An expert on biofilms on plastics, Dr Summers highlights research by Prof Bin Cao & NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute showing both the danger and potential of these microbial communities: while some microbes can spread disease, others could one day help us biologically degrade plastics.
His key message: Plastics are biologically active hazards, not inert waste.
What can we do?
1. Cut down on single-use plastics
2. Support cleanups and citizen science
3. Push for stronger local action
Read full commentary on CNA: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/plastic-pollution-un-treaty-harmful-microbe-public-health-5387956?cid=linkedin_traffic_social_10082018_cna
