Microplastics: Environmental Issues and Their Management

Plastics are synthetic polymers designed as light weight, inexpensive as well as sturdy material. The application of plastic can be seen in almost all industrialized products. Applicability as well as rate of waste generation is increasing simultaneously. 380 million tonnes (MT) of plastic waste (PW) have been documented in the year 2015 instead of only 2MT in 1950. Central Pollution Control board had estimated 6.6 lack tonnes of PW generation in India in the year 2017–18. The capital of India, Delhi, alone contributes 690 tonnes per day. Nearly half of this remains uncollected. This uncollected PW get consumed by animal or burnt openly or clogs drainage and river system. This leads to starvation and many other adverse health impacts in animals, production of toxic gases or pollution of abiotic components and many more. Majority of this plastic waste is single used one. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified plastics in four categories based on their size: mega plastics (>1 m); macro plastics (<1 m), mesoplastics (<2.5 cm); and microplastics (<5 mm). On the basis of morphology, microplastics (MPs) are classified as “primary and secondary”. “Primary” MPs also known as microbeads are one which have been manufactured (<5 mm) for their intended use in medicines and personal care products whereas “secondary” MPs are the result of weathering of primary larger size plastics. Microplastics are difficult to biodegrade and cannot be removed by conventional treatment methods. This results in accumulation of microplastics in water bodies. Accumulation of MPsin tissues can be found at almost all the trophic levels. No legal framework is in place for restrictive use of microplastics in India. This study will provide an overview of the current level of scientific work and knowledge on microplastic pollution in INDIA and will help to suggest the preventive measures for effective management of plastic waste.