Microplastics in our oceans: a Birmingham Brief

The fate of plastics in the environment is a burning question and currently making headlines in the UK and globally. While most of the attention so far has focused on the accumulation of plastics in the world's oceans, very little is known about the pathway of plastic once it has been used by humans and heads towards the sea, including the way in which it is transported, its fate and the impact it has on freshwater and terrestrial environments and public health.