Outreach Materials for a General Audience

For the purposes of this microplastics toolkit, we have defined a general audience as adults with a non-science background as well as K-12 school-aged students. However, because of their general nature, the materials in this section can be used with any audience.

Information provided to general audiences needs to be age appropriate and introductory. Text that describes the big picture generally works well. More detailed information can be incorporated by inserting references and links to additional resources.

Fact Sheets

The goal of a fact sheet is to introduce a topic. Sometimes fact sheets may inspire readers to seek additional information and to do their own research. Many fact sheets have links to additional resources for readers to obtain more information. The fact sheets provided below can be used either in their single-sided, one-page format or mixed and matched to create double-sided two-page fact sheets. The fact sheets below are for a general audience. To see the full list of outreach materials created for all audiences in this toolkit, please see the index.

Social Media Materials

Social media posts are designed to be succinct and grab people’s attention. Asking a question, including photos or graphics, or providing facts/figures can be effective for reeling in interest. See the “Tips for Using Social Media” for more information.

Figure 3. Example of an X (Twitter) post.
Source: ITRC Microplastics Team

Example Key Messages with Associated Social Media Posts

Ideally, social media posts (Figure 3) should be tied to the key messages you would like to communicate to your audience. Key messages can be used to succinctly communicate the concepts to a target audience using a mapped message process. This process is described in more depth in Section 4.5 of ITRC’s Risk Communication Toolkit. In general, the goal is to create a mapped message that provides three components of the key message in 27 words or less and begins with posing a question. An example of the process using the message “Microplastics are everywhere” and three related facts is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Message Map for “Microplastics are Everywhere”

Audience: General	Question/Concern/Issue: Microplastics are Everywhere
Key Message/Fact 1: In the environment.	Key Message/Fact 2: In things we ingest.	Key Message/Fact 3: In your body.
Key Words/Supporting Fact 1.1: Found on mountain peaks.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 2.1: Found in fish tissue.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 3.1: Found in blood.
Key Words/Supporting Fact 1.2: Found in the deep sea.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 2.2: Found in salt.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 3.2: Found in lungs.
Key Words/Supporting Fact 1.3: Found in the air.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 2.3: Found in bottled water.	Key Words/Supporting Fact 3.3: Found in meconium (baby’s first poop).

A key message that can be created from this message map is:

“Microplastics are everywhere, from mountain peaks to ocean depths, and even in the human body due to their presence in the food and water we ingest.” (26 words)

Table 2 lists several key messages related to microplastics and an associated social media post.

Table 2. Key messages and associated social media post.

*If using a URL, please note that an additional 23 characters will be included in your total character count for X (Twitter). 

Key Message	Example Social Media Post	Character Count
Microplastics are everywhere	Microplastics—tiny plastic particles—are everywhere. Plastics break down into tiny particles called #microplastics. Microplastics are found in air, drinking water, surface waters, and food that humans consume. Microplastics can move through the food chain and carry chemical additives. https://mp-1.itrcweb.org/introduction/	290 characters + 23 for link = 313
Today’s plastics are tomorrow’s microplastics	Microplastics have accumulated on the planet since the 1950s. Industrial products and breakdown of larger plastics have led to smaller pieces getting into surface water, air, soil, organisms, and people’s food. Explore routes of exposure – https://mp-1.itrcweb.org/human-health-and-ecological-effects/	240 characters +23 for link = 263
Microplastics are found in creatures great and small	After being thrown away, plastic products break down into smaller pieces called #microplastics. They get into the food chain and fish, wildlife, and eventually humans eat them. By buying less plastic you can prevent it from getting into the environment. https://mp-1.itrcweb.org/environmental-distribution-fate-and-transport/	254 characters + 23 for link = 277
Regulating Microplastics is Complex	Regulating #microplastics is complex. This is a global issue that cannot be tackled by a single country. Plastics have many beneficial uses and cannot be eliminated entirely. Follow the #UNPlasticsTreaty for ongoing global actions. https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution	232 characters + 23 for link = 255
I can do something to reduce plastics in the environment	Remember the 6 Rs of #microplastic reduction – 1. REFUSE single-use plastics, 2. RETHINK clothing, 3. REDUCE use of single-use plastics, 4. REUSE plastics as you can, 5. RECYCLE what is left, and 6. REMOVE plastic litter. Learn why to change habits at https://mp-1.itrcweb.org/introduction/.	254 characters +23 for link = 277
Society can do some things to reduce microplastics in the environment	Tires hit the road, so do microplastics! Tires degrade into #tirewearparticles due to friction over time. Maintain the correct tire pressure, avoid sharp braking or acceleration, and reduce vehicle load to minimize the amount of #microplastics released into the environment. https://mp-1.itrcweb.org/appendix-a/#a_5	274 characters + 23 for link = 297

Images for Use in Social Media

Social media posts are generally more eye-catching and effective when they are accompanied by an image. To help ensure that they are as attention-grabbing as possible, your images should be sized and shaped appropriately for the platform. Keep in mind that each social media platform has slightly different recommendations for image size and aspect ratio (Figure 4).

Figure 4. An example of an X (Twitter) post using a microplastics graphic.
Source: ITRC Microplastics Team

Many of the images in this toolkit can be used in social media posts. As an example, Table 3 presents one image that has been resized and optimized for different social media platforms. 

Table 3. Examples of graphics formatted for different social media platforms.

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