Plastics are the most frequent sort of marine litter, particularly harmful to the marine environment due to their abundance as well their longevity . The majority of coral reefs are currently polluted with macroplastics which harms corals of conservation significance. Some of the plastic materials found in the reef zones include food and beverage packages, abandoned fishing gear, vehicle tyre fragments, petrochemical pellets, textile materials, and pharmaceutical microbeads . The shallow water reef ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific region alone are estimated to contain 11.1 billion pieces of plastic by 2025, and this number is expected to increase by 40 % . A total of 159 coral reefs were examined, and 33 % of them were exposed to macroplastics . Jordanian coral reefs reported trash concentrations as high as 280–304 items/100 m2 where plastic and fishing gear contribute (42 %) and (31 %) of the marine litter. Macroplastics have both direct and indirect effects on the coral reef ecosystem. Examples of direct impacts include entanglement, physical damage, substrate coating, and intestinal blockage . Indirect impacts include the entry of pathogenic agents ‘hitch-hiking’ on the coral surface . Macroplastics act as a physical barrier to the acquisition of food and energy, causing coral polyp activities to increase and decreased prey capture rates . However, they also dramatically slow down zooplankton capture rates and skeleton growth rates . Macroplastics serve as a substrate for the coral’s larvae implantation and aid in the spread of invasive coral species. Macroplastic debris can suffocate substantial portions of coral colonies because it gets easily knotted in the thorny threedimensional structure of the corals (Fig. 3) . While some reefs have already been suffocated by macroplastics , others remain comparatively pristine. Additionally, suffocating situations that reduce oxygen levels and cause shading could favour infection in corals . Furthermore, plastic waste may hinder the coral’s ability to heal wounds and the immune system .