Abstract
Pollution of the marine environment due to plastic materials is one of the most severe environmental problems humanity has to face in the 21st century. The strategy devised until now to address this issue is mainly based on two pillars: (1) increasing the interception of discarded plastic wastes by waste management systems; and (2) substituting the traditional “petro-based” polymers with biodegradable ones. Many issues on the overall sustainability of the second option by the waste management system must still be clarified.
Pollution of the marine environment due to plastic materials is one of the most severe environmental problems humanity has to face in the 21st century. It is now clear that, in addition to other deleterious effects like causing the death of endangered species, such as sea mammals and turtles, microplastics originating from plastic debris can easily enter the human food chain. It is also well known that the vast majority of plastics found in the oceans (70–80%) actually originates on land.
