Research and management of plastic pollution in coastal environments of China

Abstract Marine plastic waste has become an ever-increasing environmental threat in the world’s ocean largely due to their unique properties and ubiquitous occurrence. They include diverse forms of land- and ocean-based sources of plastics and are estimated to account for up to 85% of marine debris worldwide. As secondary pollutants, marine microplastic particles ( Main finding Microplastics are increasingly being detected and quantified in Chinese coastal environments and legislation for containment of such pollution is highly recommended.