Every time you do a load of laundry, around 4,000 microplastic particles enter the wastewater system. Kelly O’Shea is midway through her PhD, at the University of Leeds trying to understand where those particles end up, specifically, what they do to the microbial communities living in our soil.
Her research focuses on a fertiliser made from food waste biogas production, which carries microplastics directly onto agricultural land, and what that means for the billions of organisms quietly keeping our soils alive. Kelly came to university as a mature student, after a decade running a paranormal events business and advocating for her own education.
In this episode, we talk about soil ecosystems nobody talks about, the recycling system that isn’t working, food security, and why she thinks her research is really about human behaviour. Keep learning, keep questioning.
Music: Endless by Chillity is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... https://shorturl.at/G08Vv/ chillitymusic/ chillity
