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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