Tackling the plastic problem

Sources, sinks and solutions for the impact of plastic on coastal communities in Vietnam

Plastics are an environmental issue around the world, but they are particularly problematic in south-east Asia, and in Vietnam especially, which has 3260 kilometres of coastline – stretching across 28 coastal provinces. This extensive coastline supports many rural livelihoods as well as business and industry operations worth more than US$17 billion per year to the Vietnamese economy.

Led by the Lyell Centre’s Professor Michel Kaiser and Dr Ngo Thi Thuy Huong at Phenikaa University, the 3SIP2C project aims to better understand the flow, pathways, and destinations of plastic waste and particles (macroplastics and microplastics) in the rivers and coasts of Vietnam and, crucially, how they’re impacting local communities and natural ecosystems.

This major international project involves a large team of multidisciplinary natural and social scientific researchers, split into working groups encompassing:

·Business – how plastic waste is impacting on key industries including fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism;

· Pathways – modelling how microplastics (0.2-5.0mm) move in the aquatic environment and ways to reduce pollutants and other contaminants from permeating water, sediment and aquatic organisms;

· Health - using cutting-edge technology in microbiology, ecotoxicology, and other related fields to explore and evaluate the potential impacts of microplastics on human and environmental health;

· Policy – working with decision-makers (including politicians, industry leaders, and community groups) to make informed decisions about the production, use and management of plastic and plastic waste;

· Community – through the ‘Less Plastic’ network, building engagement amongst coastal communities, businesses, education and public sectors to better understand the role and environmental impact of plastic, and ways to minimise use;

Find out more and meet the project team at: https://lessplasticvietnam.com/about/

'Sources, sinks and solutions for the impact of plastic on coastal communities in Vietnam' is supported by UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council through its Global Challenges Research Fund.