Sources of Micro-plastics in the Marine Environment

Tender description

The principal requirement of this project is to investigate sources and pathways of synthetic fibre and tyre micro-plastic pollution into the marine environment. Microplastics are a type of marine plastic pollution now widely distributed in aquatic habitats. The evidence base on the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment is limited. However, they do not biodegrade, they accumulate in the marine environment, they can absorb toxic chemicals and pathogens, and their small size means they have the potential to be ingested by marine organisms. Following the decision to implement legislation to ban one of the sources of micro-plastics (microbeads in personal care products), further evidence is required on other micro-plastic sources and microfibers. This was one of the key recommendations of the Environmental Audit Committee’s response to the enquiry on the Environmental Impact of Micro-plastics. Reduction of micro-plastics is also a requirement under our regional seas convention (OSPAR) and the UK Marine Strategy and is a priority policy area. As well as microbeads in personal care products other sources of microplastics such as synthetic fibres and tyre particles are also thought to be potentially significant sources of microplastic pollution. However, much of the existing evidence on the quantity and significance of alternative sources is from modelled results. For example the IUCN report on sources of micro-plastics examined much of the primary evidence but requires modelled results to fill in knowledge gaps. Further research is required on the UK sources and pathways of these micro-plastic pollutants into the marine environment, including direct field studies to validate modelled information.