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<p>The Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within
the lifetime of the 25 year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for
research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018.
A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional
plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches
to boosting recycling and reducing litter.</p><p> </p><p>There has been substantive
research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment.
However, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and
their transport to the marine environment. Defra has therefore commissioned evidence
reviews to increase our understanding of these issues.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is also
working with the Environment Agency and the UK water industry to establish methods
to detect, characterise and quantify microplastics entering wastewater treatment works,
to evaluate the efficiency of treatment processes for their removal from domestic
wastewaters and to assess their fate and biological effects in receiving rivers. In
addition, Defra has commissioned the University of Plymouth to carry out research
into textiles and tyres which are estimated to be significant sources of microplastics
in the marine environment, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate has commissioned research
on removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes.</p><p> </p><p>The
outcomes from these research projects will be used in the development of policy options
to help mitigate the impact of microplastics in the aquatic environment.</p>
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