The field of paper-based microfluidics has experienced rapid growth since its introduction less than a decade ago. Although microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) were originally developed for point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings, new applications have emerged including analyzing environmental samples. Low cost paper sensors show great promise for on-site environmental analysis, and the theme of ongoing research is to complement existing instrumental techniques by providing high spatial and temporal resolution for environmental monitoring. This review highlights some of the recent work using μPADs to detect environmentally relevant analytes along with technical advances that may enable μPADs to be more widely implemented in the field.