A holistic or integrated approach ("industrial ecology") to environmental protection is considered with respect to tackling the twin problems of plastic waste and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and other toxins such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) being discharged into the environment. As a proof‐of‐principle demonstration, the differential adsorptions from an aqueous solution of three common analgesics- aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen- to a common polymer, polystyrene, were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in situ. With respect to the mantra of the "5 Rs" of green philosophy, such an approach encompasses the reuse of resources, the recovery of energy, and the redesign principles.