Plastic Pollution in South and Southeast Asia: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions

ABSTRACT Plastic pollution is an ongoing environmental problem because of anthropogenic activities. Low‐income South and Southeast Asian countries have witnessed an unprecedented increase in terrestrial and aquatic plastic litter and aerial micro‐ and nanoplastic pollution. The present review discusses the sources and pathways of plastic pollution in the soil, water, and air, focusing on South and Southeast Asia. In addition, the consequences of plastic pollution on terrestrial, aquatic, and airborne organisms were also analyzed. Fragmentation and degradation pathways of plastic pollutants are highly complex and unpredictable. The circulation of micro‐ and nanoplastics in the food web and accumulation in living faunal tissues raise health concerns. Challenges in curbing plastic pollution due to technical, legal, behavioral, and socioeconomic conditions were discussed. An extensive list of sustainable solutions to plastic‐related hazards focusing on South and Southeast Asia is also provided.