Peter Ross

Most of us have heard that plastics will soon exceed fish in the ocean. But it’s not just garbage – tiny particles of plastics are polluting our waters. With zooplankton, fish and wildlife mistaking plastic for food, plastic pollution is now considered a global conservation threat. Peter and his ‘Plastics Lab’ team carried out the first assessment of microplastics in a Canadian wastewater treatment plant, established solution-oriented partnerships with outdoor retailers to identify the types of plastic in microscopic particles, and continues to track microplastics in Canada’s oceans. You need to know: Much of the microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans is thought to come from household sources, where laundry releases trillions of fibres from polyester fleece, nylon and other materials.