Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a huge environmental concern, with over 14 million tons annually accumulating in ocean sediments. The annual release exceeds 1.5 million tons into marine environments. MP has been found in terrestrial soils with up to 4.3%, atmospheric fallout averaging 4 MP m −2 day −1 in urban areas and in freshwater systems in concentrations reaching 10 6 particles L −1 . MPs have infiltrated in the depths of oceans up to 1000 m in concentrations up to 590,000 particles m −2 , to the heights of the atmosphere, reaching even in clouds with particle sizes ranging from 7.1 to 94.6 µm. MPs have been detected in urban wastewater (> 300 particles L −1 ) and the pristine Arctic (1.8 particles m −3 ). This article analyses the rapid advancement of MP sampling and detection from visual sorting to the use of Internet of Things (IoT) through density separation, microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and pyrolysis-GC/MS. It further examines the complex movement of MPs through wastewater discharge, stormwater runoff, riverine transport, ocean circulation, atmospheric circulation and ecological interaction that influence their distribution, transport and fate. The Legal provisions, national and international initiatives, and strategies to control MP pollution are analyzed. The article showcases citizen science case studies from India to tackle the problem of plastic waste accumulation through plastic waste recycling and the associated problems. The findings are discussed for achieving key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 6, SDG, SDG 14, and SDG 15 and highlight the urgent need for coordinated monitoring protocols, stronger policy interventions, and integrated strategies to address MP pollution sustainably.
Jayadev et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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