This photograph taken on February 22, 2024 in Ecaussinnes, shows plastic pellets on the ground 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)