FIGURE.2 Characteristics of (micro)plastic pollution in erosion control engineering.

Prevention strategies of (micro)plastics pollution in ECE

While the presence of (micro)plastics in (ECE) may give rise to significant environmental pollution concerns, the strategies for preventing their occurrence around ECE can be relatively straightforward and easily implemented through source control measures. Firstly, meticulous management of plastic usage should be implemented during both the design and completion phases of ECE, encompassing limitations on plastic products and monitoring of plastic fragments. Notably, China has achieved successful outcomes in mitigating plastic bag pollution through the enactment of more stringent legislation and improved law enforcement (Zhang et al., 2018). For instance, the General Office of the State Council (GOSC) has imposed restrictions on the production, sale, and use of plastic shopping bags, banned ultrathin plastic bags (<0.025 mm), and introduced charges for the use of other plastic bags in marketplaces since June 1, 2008 (Zhang et al., 2018). Similarly, policy recommendations could be made to limit the usage of plastic products, while also incorporating the issue of plastic pollution into the existing environmental impact assessment of construction projects to curtail overall usage. Secondly, the replacement of plastic materials with biodegradable alternatives should be considered. In fact, China has a long-standing tradition of utilizing biological materials, such as jute netting, straw matting, and bamboo gabion, for soil erosion control (Stokes et al., 2010). Although these biodegradable materials may entail slightly higher costs compared to plastic products, the Chinese Government’s recent emphasis on increased investment in soil and water conservation and environmental protection within construction projects presents an opportune moment for implementing the replacement of plastics in ECE. Furthermore, it is crucial to address the rudimentary practice in which most covering measures are currently executed, lacking subsequent supervision. Upon project completion, it becomes imperative to promptly undertake the cleaning and recycle of temporary work materials, such as plastic mesh and non-woven fabrics.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (42077066). We thank Liang Cheng, Shimin Ni and Zhisheng Dai for providing the field photos.

CONFLICT OF INTERES

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

No data was used for the research described in the article.

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