According to a May 7, 2020 Tokyo University of Science news release https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/tuos-arf050720.php “... Plastic may be an indispensable part of our daily lives, but its robustness and abundance … [is] putting a huge burden on the environment. Because plastic does not decompose in water, it is a serious hazard for the marine life … [university scientists] … followed a three-step process to map microplastic (MicP) concentration across 70 rivers and 90 sites in Japan and examined the relation between MicP concentration and land characteristics … They identified the critical areas where plastic emissions were the highest. Their analysis showed that these emissions were high in rivers near urbanized areas, with a high population density. Among these, cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka were found to be hotspots … this method was useful in understanding exactly where strict countermeasures should be enforced … findings provide new insights that may be used to draft countermeasures against plastic emissions …” not only in Japan, but around the world - #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic #Microplastics #PlasticFoodPackaging