Paper Short Abstract:

Based on research on mundane engagements with plastics in Romania, I focus on how and by whom knowledge about microplastics is publicly disseminated; and what the implications of introducing microplastics as presence, out there, everywhere, might be on the understanding of plastics pollution.

Paper Abstract:

In November 2022, an NGO organised in Bucharest the premiere of the film ‘Swim to the sea’. This documents a peculiar project: that spring a German professor of chemistry swam the entire Danube River to raise awareness of plastic pollution among riverine communities. While leaving the auditorium, I overheard a conversation between the NGO representative and an acquaintance, who wondered why plastic waste was not shown in the film. She explained that ‘in Germany, they are a bit ahead of us. We organise clean-ups, they already talk about microplastics.’ This NGO has since collaborated with state authorities and universities and released on its website the results of a study on the quantity of microplastics in the Romanian section of the Danube River. This is not the only organisation that aims to educate the public about microplastics. I single it out because it claims to be the first to raise awareness about plastic pollution in Romania and is representative of a context wherein mainly civil society organisations offer environmental education, predominantly with corporate funding, plastic pollution is framed as waste management problem, and consumers are considered responsible for plastic waste. Based on research on mundane engagements with plastics, I focus on how and by whom knowledge about microplastics is publicly disseminated. I also (half)speculate on what the implications of introducing microplastics as a presence—out there, everywhere, without relating it to everyday life, without discussing persistence, potentials, harms, as currently done—might be on the understanding of and acting on plastics pollution.