Microplastics Pollution in Surface Waters and Sediments of Urban Lakes

The most adaptable materials created by humans are plastics.1 The usage of plastic materials has greatly improved our level of convenience, but not without drawbacks (Andrady & Neal, 2009). Since the 1960s, the extent of plastics in solid waste has constantly increased, leading to rising waste management costs and environmental degradation because most plastics do not disintegrate, and their chemical components and additives make recycling difficult. Improperly disposed waste plastics have seriously harmed the environment. In addition to affecting ecosystems’ aesthetic and recreational qualities, the presence of plastic trash in the environment could also pose a long-term pollution issue that will endure into subsequent generations (Bakir et al., 2014; Wright et al., 2013; Yang et al., 2011). About 80% of all plastics ever produced have been accumulating across different segments of the environment, indicating the need for better plastic waste management and ongoing initiatives to reuse, recycle, incinerate, or improve their biodegradability (Xu et al., 2019b).