A Review on Microplastics Characteristics and Pollution in Tanzania: Mitigating Strategies and Future Perspectives

Microplastics (MPs) are, so far, a global issue due to the ill effects they pose to human health and the environment at large. This study merges MPs characteristics which have been found to influence their toxicity. The study also unveils extent of MP researches in Tanzania and methodologies that were employed in the global context, showing extent of pollution, sources and factors leading to MPs pollution. On the long run, the study makes it clear that the country is not an island to the challenge posed by MP pollution: it also reveals how much the country has so far done to mitigate the problem. Eventually, the study provides a way forward, revealing inadequate awareness and enforcement gaps to be the major bottlenecks in the battle against MPs pollution. Creating public awareness on the negative side of plastics, and plastics waste management, and responsibility on how to care for the environment, as well as launching new researches, are deemed to be critical activities and right approaches towards lessening the effects of MPs pollution.