This photograph taken on February 22, 2024 in Ecaussinnes, shows plastic pellets on the ground and collected into a jar close to an industrial zone with petrochemical factories. They are buried in the ground and in ditches, dotting riverbanks and watercourses: a Belgian municipality is fighting against the "insidious" pollution caused by the plastic microbeads produced on its territory, at a time when the EU wants to tighten up its rules. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)