Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks

Marine litter is a crucial health and environmental issue in the global sense for not only humankind but also for cetaceans, marine life, and other flying and land animals. It is known that marine litter has significant environmental, economic, health, and aesthetic effects. Marine litter is a permanent, manufactured, or processed solid material which is discarded, disposed, or abandoned from any source into marine and coastal environments. It can be composed of the wastes and particles of abandoned waste textile products, synthetic garments and their fragments, fishing nets, fishing lines, industrial product wastes and industrial plastic production wastes such as plastic bottles and plastic containers (mostly made from synthetic polymers), vehicle tire dusts, and breakdown of litter and cosmetic products. In most cases, plastics are one of the most important components of marine litter because of their very slow decay rates. It is stated that approximately 90% of the marine litter is composed of plastic material wastes and 5–13 million tonnes of plastic waste litter are released to the marine-related environment per year. The amount of plastic waste in the seas is likely to continue to increase, mainly due to the negative increase in plastic consumption (about 9% per annum) and the inadequacy of its reuse, recycling, and waste management practices. The entanglement and ingestion of marine litter directly damage wild animals and their environment. Accumulation of marine litter on the seabed, accumulation of trash, and seagrass deposits in coral reefs cause damage to the natural habitat and damage the ecosystem. Plastic entanglement and ingestion problems by the animals are the main issues with macroplastics. On the other hand, plastic ingestion and accumulation problems by the animals are the main issues with microplastics. Microplastics in marine litter can be generated through microbeads, pellets, abrasion of especially car tires, textile materials and textile products, the decay of mesoplastics and macroplastics, and so on. Microfibers and microfibrils, which may be generated during ordinary home laundry cycles due to the agitation and beating nature of the washing process and end up in sewage, are also a subcategory of microplastics. Ingestion of microplastic and microparticle marine litter can cause many health problems. Microplastics in the sea enter the body of living sea creatures. As a result of these marine organisms, such as fishes, being consumed by humans, these microplastics and their remnants enter the human body and cause further health problems. Plastic materials enter to the seas and oceans end up on ocean floor, sea sides, beaches, and ocean surfaces. Unfortunately, degradation of these plastic waste litters in the marine environment needs centuries. Various measures are taken to remove the plastic wastes from the seas and seashores. Coastal cleaning activities and cleaning nets taken to the coasts are some of the most commonly used methods. The most common approaches for collected marine litter can also be storage or incineration. However, these methods may not be always ideal solutions because of limited storage space and pollution risks. The most likely solution for the destruction of plastic marine litter is the plastic recycling technologies commonly used in the processing of industrial wastes. The waste plastic and plastic parts collected from the seas and seashores are separated from each other by various methods and then each type of the recovered polymer, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer, polypropylene (PP) polymer, and polyamide (PA) polymer, can be included in the recycling processes at their relevant recycling facilities. Plastic recycling technologies can typically be classified in three ways: mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and thermal recycling. In this chapter, marine litter and recycling of marine litter and ocean plastics are comprehensively reviewed. First of all, the information regarding marine litter sources, marine litter types, and the contribution of synthetic fibers to marine litter via laundry (washing) cycles is given. Then, the ecological and socioeconomic effects of marine litter are discussed. Afterward, the precautions against marine litter and recycling of marine litter (mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and thermal recycling) are mentioned. Finally, the recent commercial developments for marine litter recycling are covered.

This report was commissioned by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water management and written by analysts at the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment (affiliated with the University of Gothenburg, Lund University, and Chalmers University of Technology). This report documents how marine plastic litter reaches even the most remote parts of the oceans with small island states, and how SIDS are especially vulnerable to its impact. The origin and composition of marine plastic litter and its impacts are described. Measures are discussed, both from state agencies and private corporations. Measures from existing RAPs on marine litter are reviewed and examples of private initiatives are mentioned. Also, the corresponding legal framework is given and side effects of marine litter measures on the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN are debated. THE VULNERABILITY OF SIDS SIDS are a set of island nations in the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. SIDS are exposed to disproportionate concentrations of plastic litter due to their location near the ocean gyres where marine litter accumulates and to often sub-performing waste management systems. ORIGINS AND COMPOSITION OF MARINE PLASTIC LITTER Because plastic make up most marine debris, the focus here is on plastic litter. Marine plastic litter washed ashore on SIDS originates from both distant countries overseas and the SIDS themselves. Buoyant plastic litter is globally distributed by ocean currents and is washed ashore on beach lines around the globe where it negatively impacts ecological and human systems. Plastics end up in the marine environment through leaks from the global value chains that run from the oil industry through various other industries to local retailers and consumers. A smaller but significant stream of plastic litter follows from the difficulties of many SIDS to establish and maintain efficient waste management systems. IMPACT OF PLASTIC LITTER ON ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC VALUES Marine litter impacts the environment and organisms therein in various ways, including entanglement, ingestion, transfer of chemicals, or by otherwise altering habitats. The extent of the social and economic impact that plastic on countries is not currently well known. However, the dependence of SIDS on their natural resources through tourism and fisheries, make them economically vulnerable to plastic litter. MITIGATION AND REMEDIATION STRATEGIES For plastic that reaches SIDS, both remediation and mitigation, especially through waste management and recycling, become necessary. LEGAL AND POLITICAL FRAMEWORKS The legal framework for preventing and managing marine litter is present on all levels of governance. A declaration particularly relevant to marine litter on SIDS is the SAMOA Pathway, a declaration from the 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States in 2014 calling for measures to manage waste, including marine plastic litter. Multilateral agreements require party states to take actions, but these requirements are often generally formulated, and their achievements depend on the choices and participation of all parties. POLICY MEASURES PROPOSED BY REGIONAL ACTION PLANS There are 18 Regional Seas programmes under the United Nations Environmental Program for the protection of the marine environment. Some Regional Seas programmes have written strategies to guide their actions, the RAPs, i.e. a political agenda for marine litter management agreed on by member governments of the region. The contents of different RAPs show strong similarities. The analyses conducted here show that most measures suggested by RAPs are aimed at downstream processes, while fewer address the problem upstream. Additional measures are needed to solve such a global problem. VOLUNTARY AND COMMERCIAL INITIATIVES Marine litter requires an array of actions from local to global level, and is thus a matter of governance. Most measures suggested in RAPs and other work against marine litter involve government managers as well as businesses, NGOs, and voluntary initiatives. RECOMMENDATION: FUTURE COOPERATION Competence and enthusiasm for the issue on SIDS and elsewhere is growing, but more is needed. Solutions require international cooperation. Four recommendations for cooperation are highlighted here: 1. Prevent litter from entering the ocean and thus reaching SIDS: Support cooperation in regional and international agreements 2. Plastic material reaching SIDS should not be released into the environment: Technical cooperation and support for local waste management 3. If waste reaches the environment, collect it where appropriate: Support beach clean-up campaigns and other remediation measures 4. When waste has been collected, ensure that is has a value: Develop recycling markets and opportunities

Sampah laut adalah sampah hasil pembuangan yang dihasilkan oleh manusia yang terbuang ke lingkungan pesisir dan laut. Keberagaman aktivitas manusia yang tersebar dimana saja dapat menjadi sumber sampah. Sumber ini dapat berlokasi di laut, sepanjang pesisir, maupun daerah pedalaman. Sampah - sampah ini berpindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain dalam jarak yang jauh dan dapat memasuki habitat laut. Akumulasi dari sampah laut, tentunya dapat mempengaruhi habitat makhluk hidup, fungsi ekologikal organisme, dan juga dapat menimbulkan masalah kesehatan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji kinerja prototipe penampung sampah laut portable (PSP) dalam mengurangi jumlah sampah laut. Metode pengujian yang digunakan yaitu mengukur dan membandingkan volume sampah laut yang diperoleh dalam beberapa waktu pengujian dengan jumlah keseluruhan rerata harian sampah laut pada daerah uji coba yaitu Perairan Punggur, mengidentifikasi ukuran dan jenis bahan sampah yang tertampung, menguji ketahanan prototipe dengan berat sampah berbeda, mengukur luas cakupan area yang dapat dijangkau oleh prototipe, sekaligus dilakukan juga identifikasi parameter oseanografi yang ada pada daerah uji untuk melihat pengaruh parameter oseanografi terhadap kinerja prototipe. Dimana dari hasil pengujian, diketahui bahwa lamanya prototipe dapat bekerja dalam kondisi baterai optimal adalah 1 - 3 jam, dengan kecepatan motor 2800 rpm, berat maksimum yang dapat ditampung oleh prototipe adalah 1 – 4 kg. Parameter oseanografi yang teridentifikasi yaitu kecepatan arus 0.7 m/s. Hasil uji lapangan juga menunjukkan parameter oseanografi juga berpengaruh dalam keefektifan kinerja prototipe.
 
 Kata kunci: Rancang bangun, sampah laut, penampung sampah laut portable, oseanografi

Mercury concentrations provide an indicator of marine foraging in coastal birds

Improper disposal of plastics, coupled with their durability and low weight, has led to the widespread environmental pollution of plastic debris. For larger plastic debris negative ecological, cultural, economic, safety, and health impacts are reported and well known. For microplastics (particle size ≤5 mm), harmful effects are still a matter of debate. Nevertheless, microplastics are the distinct subject of national and international marine monitoring directives (i.e. MSFD, NOAA), due to their bioavailability to a wide range of organisms, their omnipresence in the marine environment, and the lack of removal techniques once introduced. Microplastic contamination levels have been intensively examined within marine habitats. And even though the relationship of human activities and plastic debris inputs are known, significant knowledge gaps exist on the sources, transport, and accumulation areas in terrestrial environments. Thus, the first objective of this thesis was the identification of potential sources, pathways, and accumulation areas of plastic debris in terrestrial environments. Three case studies on overlooked, yet potentially plastic debris containing sources and accumulation areas, were carried out. As plastics frequently enter biowastes through misthrows, we exemplarily investigated organic fertilizer from biowaste fermentation and composting as input source of microplastic debris to farmlands. Our results indicate that, depending on receiving wastes, pretreatment of the substrate, and the technical state of the plant, organic fertilizers can contain high concentrations of microplastics. When applied to farmlands, a potential input of 35 billion to 2.2 trillion microplastic particles per year was calculated for German arable land. As around 50% of land use in Germany is agricultural, we further investigated plastic debris contamination of a farmland neither subjected to known plastic-containing fertilizer or to plastic applications. We detected 206 large plastic pieces, and 158,100 to 292,400 microplastic pieces per hectare. Additionally, we were the first to investigate the hyporheic zone of streambed sediments, a transition zone between fresh- and groundwater. Our exemplary study at the Rote Main river indicated that especially small microplastics (<50 μm) are infiltrated into sediments of the hyporheic zone of streambeds. Even though, results from this study are based on one sample, it points towards another temporal sink and relevant transportation pathway for microplastics. The lack of sufficient sample replication is a common issue in microplastic studies, mainly due to the high costs of sampling, sample processing, and analytics. Consequently, the second objective was to improve existing sampling and sample processing methods for microplastics. Concerning sample processing, environmental samples often contain a high number of natural particles that impair spectroscopic identification of microplastics if not removed. Thus, I contributed to the development of a gentle sample purification protocol that is adaptable to a broad range of environmental samples. With the application of a series of specific enzymes, we achieved high removal efficiencies of organic matter from surface water samples (>95%) and high recovery rates of microplastics (>80%). Yet, sample replication is still a compromise between representativeness and feasibility within a project. To assess sufficient sample replication for beaches, we studied the spatial distribution of microplastics in beach sediments of the Po River Delta, in northern Italy. Our analysis of microplastics >1 mm for three different accumulation areas suggests that for the high tide line, the recommendation by the “Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter” of five replicates is sufficient. If accumulation areas farther from the waterline are sampled, a minimum of 10 replicates should be taken. The highly variable polymer type distribution among the accumulation areas further indicated that for a comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination, different accumulation areas need to be sampled. However, concerning water surface samples from coasts and the open ocean, a representative sampling will be limited simply because of their mere dimensions. Hence, the third objective was the development of alternative monitoring methods that could provide additional information on sources, sinks, and transport pathways of buoyant plastic debris. A three-dimensional hydrodynamical model, coupled with a Lagrange particle tracking module, was utilized to forecast the transport of microplastics emitted by the Po River branches and subsequent off-washing onto adjacent beaches. A correlation with in-situ measured microplastic abundances on the beaches was not present. In another approach, we assessed if water constituents depictable from satellite images (e.g., chlorophyll-a, suspended particulate matter, and colored dissolved organic matter) could be used as proxy to indirectly map microplastic distribution. Under the assumption that microplastic transport is driven by similar processes, such as wind and currents, we tested if a correlation between microplastics and those water constituents exists. The results of three field data acquisitions on three different river systems showed no clear relationship, with only one data set showing a spatial correlation between microplastics and the proxy water constituents. Nevertheless, model simulations and remote sensing techniques are able to provide information on larger spatial and temporal scales, which is why the development of this methods should be followed in future.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish tissue may be an indicator of plastic contamination in marine habitats

Micro plastic pollution in oceans is a growing global issue. These small plastic particles, less than 5 millimeters in size, come from broken-down larger plastics, micro beads in personal care products, and synthetic fibers from textiles. Once in marine environments, micro plastics are consumed by aquatic organisms, endangering marine ecosystems. Furthermore, micro plastics carry harmful chemicals, contributing to further contamination of marine habitats. Tackling this issue requires international cooperation, stronger regulations, and creative approaches to minimize plastic waste and promote environmental sustainability. Researching micro plastic pollution in marine environments is essential to understanding its widespread effects on ecosystems, marine organisms, and human health. Micro plastics are ubiquitous, impacting even the most isolated ocean areas. When ingested by marine life, they can cause physical damage, reproductive challenges, and disrupt food webs. Furthermore, micro plastics absorb and carry toxic chemicals, worsening environmental contamination. Studying these effects is vital for shaping effective regulations and creating solutions to reduce pollution. This research is key to protecting marine biodiversity and maintaining the long-term health and sustainability of ocean ecosystems for future generations. The study of micro plastic pollution in marine environments follows a structured approach. Researchers collect water, sediment, and biological samples from various marine zones, including coastal and deep-sea areas. These samples undergo processes like filtration, density separation, or chemical digestion to extract micro plastics. Microscopic analysis, often paired with spectroscopic techniques like Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) or Raman spectroscopy, is used to identify and examine micro plastic particles. Researchers also investigate how marine organisms ingest micro plastics and explore the potential bioaccumulation within food chains. The gathered data is crucial for understanding the scale, sources, and impacts of micro plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. Alternative taken as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Nylon (Polyamide), Polyethylene (PE), Acrylic (PMMA), Cellulose Acetate, Biodegradable Plastics (PLA), Micro beads (Polyethylene). Evaluation preference taken as Biodegradability, Toxicity, Environmental Impact, Cost, Availability, Regulatory Compliance. In this context, Biodegradable Plastics (PLA) occupy the top position on the table, while Polystyrene (PS) is ranked at the bottom.

Frontiers Events is a rapidly growing calendar management system dedicated to the scheduling of academic events. This includes announcements and invitations, participant listings and search functionality, abstract handling and publication, related events and post-event exchanges. Whether an organizer or participant, make your event a Frontiers Event!

Coastal habitats have been suggested to serve as a sink for unaccounted plastic debris, i.e., “missing plastic” in the sea, and hence, a hotspot of plastic pollution in the marine and coastal environments. Although the accumulation of plastic debris may pose significant threats to coastal ecosystems, we know little about the fate of these plastic debris and their ecological impacts due to the lack of studies on plastic-microbe interactions in coastal habitats, especially for the tropical marine and coastal environments. In this study, we collected plastic debris from 14 sites consisting of various coastal ecosystems (seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and beaches), and marine ecosystem (coral reef) around Singapore and characterized the prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities colonized on them. Our results showed that the composition of plastisphere communities in these intertidal ecosystems was predominantly influenced by the sediment than by the plastic materials. Compared with surrounding sediment and seawater, the plastic debris enriched potential plastic degraders, such as Muricauda, Halomonas, and Brevundimonas. The plastic debris was also found to host taxa that play significant roles in biogeochemical cycles (e.g., cyanobacteria, Erythrobacter), hygienically relevant bacteria (e.g., Chryseobacterium, Brevundimonas), and potential pathogens that may negatively impact the health of coastal ecosystems (e.g., Thraustochytriaceae, Labyrinthulaceae, Flavobacterium). Taken together, our study provides valuable insights into the plastic-microbe interactions in tropical coastal and marine ecosystems, highlighting the urgent need for plastisphere studies to understand the fate and ecological impacts of plastic debris accumulated in coastal habitats.

Vigorous and continued efforts by researchers and engineers have contributed towards maintaining environmental sustainability through the utilization of waste materials in civil engineering applications as an alternative to natural sources. In this study, granite aggregates in asphaltic mixes were replaced by electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag aggregates with different proportions to identify the best combination in terms of superior performance. Asphalt mixtures showing the best performance were further reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylic, and polyester fibers at the dosages of 0.05%, 0.15%, and 0.3% by weight of the aggregates. The performance tests of this study were resilient modulus, moisture susceptibility, and indirect tensile fatigue cracking test. The findings of this study revealed that the asphalt mixtures containing coarse steel slag aggregate exhibited the best performance in comparison with the other substitutions. Moreover, the reinforced asphalt mixtures with synthetic fibers at the content of 0.05% exhibited an almost comparable performance to the unreinforced asphalt mixtures. Modifying the asphalt mixtures with PVA, acrylic, and polyester fibers at the proportion of 0.15% have improved the fatigue cracking resistance by 41.13%, 29.87%, and 18.97%, respectively. Also, the fiber-modified asphalt mixtures with PVA, acrylic, and polyester have enhanced the fatigue cracking resistance by about 57%, 44%, and 39%, respectively. The results of the resilient modulus demonstrated that as the fiber content increase, the resilient modulus of the reinforced asphalt mixtures decreases. Therefore, introducing synthetic fibers at the content of 0.3% has slightly decreased the resilient modulus in comparison with unreinforced mixtures. On the other hand, the results of the mechanistic-empirical pavement design showed that the reinforced asphalt mixes with a high content of synthetic fibers have shown lower service life than the control mixes due to the low resilient modulus. On the contrary, based on the laboratory results, the asphalt mixes incorporating PVA, acrylic, and polyester fibers at the proportion of 0.15% have shown the potential to reduce the thickness of the asphalt layer by about 14.9%, 11.80%, and 8.70%, respectively.

One of the most evident changes in the last half-century is the ubiquity and abundance of litter in the marine environment. The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC) established a framework within which EU Member States shall take action to achieve the good environmental status (GES) of their marine waters by 2020. Amongst the 11 MSFD qualitative descriptors, Descriptor 10 (D 10) concerns marine litter. Here we report the general strategy in support to the implementation of MSFD for marine litter. It includes various aspects such as scientific background, monitoring strategies and protocols, definition of good environmental status and targets and support to management policies. A technical group on marine litter (DG Environment/TSG ML) was created to provide scientific and technical background for the implementation of MSFD requirements and support to Member States with regard to D 10. The work of TSG ML focuses on the specification of monitoring methods through the development of monitoring protocols for litter in the different marine compartments, including microplastics and litter in biota. Further consideration is also being given to the identification of sources of marine litter and a better understanding of the harm caused by marine litter.

In the last several decades, the disposal and accumulation of debris in the marine and coastal environment has been one of the biggest and fastest-growing threats to the health of the world's oceans. Marine debris is present in all marine habitats and represents a great danger to global environmental and human health. Therefore, this paper aims to support efforts to achieve Good Environmental Status with respect to marine debris in all oceans and seas. The application of optical remote sensing methods for floating marine debris detection was briefly reviewed and the bibliometric analysis of the professional and scientific literature elaborated upon. In the overview part, previously used marine debris detection methods have been listed. The WoSCC (Web of Science Core Collection) and Scopus databases were considered, and the R Studio Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny software tools used for bibliometric analysis. 209 documents that can be classified into 43 research fields were identified in the two databases. Approximately 20% of the documents were published in two journals: the Marine Pollution Bulletin and Remote Sensing. Marine debris research was mainly published in the USA, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and China. A total of 54 countries participated in the publication of documents and it should be emphasized that all countries have shown great interest in international cooperation during the scientific research on marine debris. Scientific research on marine debris was found to have increased significantly since 2017, which is highly important for the protection of the environment and human health.

Synthetic fibers as microplastics in the marine environment: A review from textile perspective with a focus on domestic washings

This work was sparked by the reported identification of man-made cellulosic fibers (rayon/viscose) in the marine environment as a major fraction of plastic litter by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) transmission spectroscopy and library search. To assess the plausibility of such findings, both natural and man-made fibers were examined using FT-IR spectroscopy. Spectra acquired by transmission microscopy, attenuated total reflection (ATR) microscopy, and ATR spectroscopy were compared. Library search was employed and results show significant differences in the identification rate depending on the acquisition method of the spectra. Careful selection of search parameters and the choice of spectra acquisition method were found to be essential for optimization of the library search results. When using transmission spectra of fibers and ATR libraries it was not possible to differentiate between man-made and natural fibers. Successful differentiation of natural and man-made cellulosic fibers has been achieved for FT-IR spectra acquired by ATR microscopy and ATR spectroscopy, and application of ATR libraries. As an alternative, chemometric methods such as unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and partial least squares-discriminant analysis were employed to facilitate identification based on intrinsic relationships of sample spectra and successful discrimination of the fiber type could be achieved. Differences in the ATR spectra depending on the internal reflection element (Ge versus diamond) were observed as expected; however, these did not impair correct classification by chemometric analysis. Moreover, the effects of different levels of humidity on the IR spectra of natural and man-made fibers were investigated, too. It has been found that drying and re-humidification leads to intensity changes of absorption bands of the carbohydrate backbone, but does not impair the identification of the fiber type by library search or cluster analysis.

Marine debris, defined as any persistent manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment, has been highlighted as a contaminant of global environmental and economic concern. The five main categories of marine debris comprise of plastic, paper, metal, textile, glass and rubber. Plastics is recognised as the major constituent of marine debris, representing between 50% and 90% of the total marine debris found globally. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tonnes of consumer plastics end up in the world oceans annually, resulting in the presence of more than 100 million particles of macroplastics in only 12 regional seas worldwide, and with 51 trillion particles of microplastic floating on the ocean surface globally. The impacts of marine debris can be branched out into three categories; injury to or death of marine organisms, harm to marine environment and effects on human health and economy. Marine mammals often accidentally ingest marine debris because of its appearance that can easily be mistaken as food. Moreover, floating plastics may act as vehicles for chemicals and/or environmental contaminants, which may be absorbed on to their surface during their use and permanence into the environment. Additionally, floating plastics is a potential vector for the introduction of invasive species that get attached to it, into the marine environment. In addition, human beings are not excluded from the impact of marine debris as they become exposed to microplastics through seafood consumption. Moreover, landscape degradation owing to debris accumulation is an eyesore and aesthetically unpleasant, thus resulting in decreased tourism and subsequent income loss. There are a wide range of initiatives that have been taken to tackle the issue of marine debris. They may involve manual removal of marine debris from coastal and aquatic environment in form of programmes and projects organised, such as beach clean-ups by scientific communities, non-governmental organizations and the removal of marine litter from Europe's four regional seas, respectively. Other initiatives focus on assessment, reduction, prevention and management of marine debris under the umbrella of international (the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan, the Oslo/Paris Convention) and regional organisations - that is, the Helsinki Commission. There are also a number of international conventions and national regulations that encourage mitigation and management of marine debris. However, it is argued that these initiatives are short-term unsustainable solutions and the long-term sustainable solution would be adoption of circular economy. Similarly, four of the sustainable developmental goals have targets that promote mitigation of marine debris by efficient waste management and practice of 3R. As evident by the Ad Hoc Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics meeting, tackling the marine debris crisis is not a straightforward, one-size-fits-all solution, but rather an integrated and continuous effort required at local, regional and global level.