Plastic marine debris: sources, impacts and management

Marine plastic has many negative impacts on coastal countries, including Vietnam. Vietnamese waters face problems of marine pollution owing to plastic waste. There are few studies on controlling marine plastic waste generated by marine-based activities. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a general view of marine plastics based on existing academic articles, and the impacts on marine animals and on human health. The paper includes a brief account of the quantity of marine plastic waste on coastal Vietnam and offers some recommendations for Vietnam to minimise and manage plastic waste generated by ships.