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Future aspects of micro-plastics and their management
Summary
This review covers the main types of plastic pollution and their fragmentation into microplastics that accumulate in marine environments. The authors argue that recycling, reuse, and community-level prevention strategies are essential for reducing plastic waste reaching the ocean.
Plastics are versatile materials of synthetic long-chain polymers with low cost, lightweight, recalcitrant properties. The market is mostly dominated by 6 classes of plastics: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS), Poly-Urethane (PUR), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Microparticles as being in the size range <5 mm (recognizing 333 μm as a practical lower limit when neuston nets are used for sampling. Microplastic pollution has been a particular concern in recent years because of its prevalence in the ocean and potential ingestion by marine organisms. A sustainable approach to both production and consumption of plastic materials with global efforts has been geared towards the management of marine debris via prevention. Recycling and reusing plastic products are some of the most effective actions to reduce the volumes of plastic wastes that must be flushed into the ocean. Finally, with the increase in microplastics and its effects on marine ecosystems, it is suggested that community and public vanguards could be initiated to develop a feasible platform for microplastics’ mitigation and ecosystem balance.