Animal Digestible Food Packaging Initiative

In a May 20, 2020 news release researchers with the University of Central Florida (UCF) https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-study-finds-microplastics-in-floridas-birds-of-prey-for-1st-time/ “… confirmed and quantified … the presence of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic birds of prey in Florida, including hawks, ospreys and owls … UCF researchers were able to examine the stomach contents of 63 birds that were dead when they arrived at the center or died 24 hours after they arrived. The birds were collected from throughout Central Florida … the researchers found microplastics in the digestive systems of all birds examined, with nearly 1,200 pieces of plastic pulled from the 63 birds … The most common types of microplastic in the birds were microfibers, which accounted for 86 percent of the plastics found. Microfibers can come from synthetic ropes or clothing and may end up in ecosystems through wastewater from clothes-washing machines. Blue and clear microplastics were the most common colors identified …” #Microplastics