Glossary
Pollution of oceans by plastics and microplastics

Marine waste; marine litter

Marine litter is any persistent solid object, manufactured or processed, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment.

Plastics; plastics

Plastics are essentially made up of synthetic polymers derived from hydrocarbons or biomass, plus a few percent of fillers and additives. For the marine environment, this definition includes elastomers, fibers, semi-synthetic polymers (cellulose nitrate, rayon, etc.), monofilament lines, coatings and ropes. Plastics can be divided into two main categories: thermoplastics, which are heat-deformable (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.), and thermosets, which are not heat-deformable (cross-linked polymers such as polyurethanes, epoxy resins, etc.). Many plastics are blends of different polymers to which various additives such...