Microplastics under the Microscope
- Megan
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
Microscope challenge of the month- April 2025
Microscopes are an amazing scientific tool, but sometimes figuring out how and when to use them takes a little help. This month, we are focusing on MICROPLASTICS, an object you can find just about anywhere. Let's talk about what a microplastic is, what scale of microscope you need to see them, and where to find them!
This Microscope Challenge comes with good intentions: once you find the microplastics outside and view them under your microscope, properly throw them away so they don't go back into the natural environment.
Finding your Subject: What is it?
Before you can investigate and learn about this month's topic, you need to know what it is.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic so small that they are microscopic. Sometimes these pieces of plastic were made to be small, like glitter; other times, they were originally a part of larger pieces of plastic and broke off into tiny pieces. They pose a huge problem for the environment, as many animals will mistake the plastic for food and eat them.
Learn about types of microplastics by reading this Article on National Geographic,
Watch these videos to understand why microplastics exist and what is being done about them.
Finding your subject: where are they?
Microplastic pick-up challenge
Find a medium-sized jar in your house, for example, a pickle jar or a peanut butter jar.
Go anywhere you know lots of people frequent. Think of places like the park, playground, classroom, your neighborhood, and even places like the grocery store.
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Walk around and pick up as many pieces of plastic as you can find, the smaller the better, until the timer runs out
Investigate what you found!
This challenge always surprises people, even a clean room can have tiny microplastics hiding in the corners.
Once you have your jar of plastics, pick some to take a look at under the microscope. They really are everywhere, in multiple colors, sizes, shapes, and textures.
When you are done
When you are done investigating, make sure all the pieces go in the trash. It's important to know, microplastics cannot be recycled; they are too small for the recycling center to clean and melt down. The small pieces get jammed in the systems and cause more problems.
You might argue, if we just throw them in the trash and the trash goes to a landfill, won't the microplastics just end up in the environment again? They very well could, because that can happen, but by putting them in your trash, you can help slow the spread of polluting microplastics. Eventually, with more research, scientists may have a better recommendation for what to do with microplastics, but for now, this is the best way for all of us to do our part.
Thanks for helping clean your local area, and enjoy the microplastic investigation.
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