China's coastal waters relatively low in microplastics

Compared to elsewhere, the density of trash and microplastics in the seas off China is at low to medium level, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The conclusion was made based on trash monitoring conducted last year in 51 areas and microplastic monitoring at six locations in the country's coastal waters, Wang Juying, director of the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, told a news conference on Thursday. 

Monitoring showed that plastic waste accounted for 92.9 percent of floating rubbish. In terms of the trash found on beaches and on the seabed, 75.9 percent and 83.3 percent were plastic, respectively. 

On average, 0.44 pieces of microplastic were found in each cubic meter of seawater, she continued.

China started to include marine waste in its regular marine monitoring work in 2007 and launched microplastic monitoring in 2016, Wang said.

To comprehensively determine the distribution of plastic waste and microplastics in its coastal waters, China has rolled out monitoring in key estuaries and bays, and established a monitoring network for marine waste in all prefectural-level coastal cities, she said.

Wang added that the ministry plans to gradually expand the network to all coastal county-level cities.