(Micro)plastic Pollution in Chinese Erosion Control Engineering: Sources and Prevention Strategies

(Micro)plastics are ubiquitous in our daily lives and are becoming a global emerging pollutant with significant threat to ecosystem sustainability. Within the field of soil erosion control engineering (ECE) in China, a wide range of plastic products, such as plastic mesh, planting bags, and plastic geocells, are extensively employed to stable the topsoil and facilitate the restoration of disturbed land. In this paper, we demonstrate the wide distribution of (micro)plastics in ECE across varied landscapes in China, highlighting their relatively high degradation rate induced by ultraviolet irradiation and mechanical disturbance. Furthermore, (micro)plastics in ECE exhibit a propensity for transport through soil erosion processes, thereby heightening the pollution risk to aquatic ecosystems. While the presence of (micro)plastics in ECE raises significant environmental concerns, there could be straightforward and easily implementable preventive strategies. These strategies include meticulous managing plastic usage during the design and completion phases of ECE, replacing plastic materials with biodegradable alternatives, and cleaning and retrieving temporary work materials.