Developing a methodology to quantify mismanaged plastic waste entering the ocean in coastal countries

Abstract

Marine plastic accumulation has gained international attention in recent years.Sources, pathways, and environmental impacts are being currently studied to understand the complex interactions during waste, especially plastic, transportation to the sea. Rivers have been identified as debris corridors allowing transportation of mismanaged waste. However, there is also evidence of waste accumulation in river basins, suggesting they can also act as sinks. Thus, assuming a uniform and continuous transportation of waste through rivers towards the ocean may signify an oversimplification.This study proposes a methodology to estimate plastic release to the ocean, considering a more detailed characterization of each river basin, including natural attributes and manmade constructions that may act as barriers or boosters for this release. The methodology is exemplified using a case study for the Region of Piura, Peru, and estimating a range of 4.2 to 13.9 kg/person/year of plastic waste reaching the Pacific coast during 2018. These results, when compared with the existing literature, demonstrate more conservative estimations. This methodology is presented as a useful tool that can be easily applied to develop more accurate mismanaged waste dissipation along different compartments.

Understanding the Sources of Marine Litter in Remote Islands: The Galapagos Islands as a Case Study

“…In Peru, 62% of waste ends up in open dumps, a high level compared to Ecuador (26%), Colombia (2%) and Chile (2%) (Brooks et al, 2020). Also, the total coastal mismanaged plastic waste produced in Peru (250,364 Mt) in 2020 was three times greater than that generated in Ecuador (79,063 Mt) (Brooks et al, 2020), and 44,000-103,000 Mt were estimated to enter the Pacific Ocean every year from Peruvian land-based sources (Ita-Nagy et al, 2022). The absence of adequate integrated municipal solid waste treatment systems is the main factor influencing plastic release.…”

Industrial ecology for the oceans

“…The results obtained demonstrate that recuperated marine plastic performs better environmentally than the alternative polymers. A third study by Ita‐Nagy and colleagues (2022) focused on the flows of plastic waste reaching the Pacific Ocean in Peru due to different terrestrial human activities. More specifically, the material flow analysis (MFA) methodology proposed takes into consideration possible natural and anthropogenic barriers (e.g., hydropower plants or mangroves) and boosters (e.g., uncontrolled open dumpsters or floods), in order to provide a more accurate estimation of the release of plastic waste from terrestrial sources in the context of emerging and developing countries.…”

Sea of plastic: representations of the sea and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors regarding marine plastic pollution in Peru and Chile

“…Lost gear traps and attracts different animals, which can lead to their death and the continuation of a cycle of entanglement ( Ryan, 2018 ), and disperse invasive species altering the marine ecosystem ( Ferrigno et al, 2018 ). Plastic pollution might have a terrestrial origin by sewage spills, polluted river basins, etc., ( Bravo et al, 2009 ; Ita-Nagy et al, 2022 ), and a marine origin by the consumption of food and beverages on boats, the loss of equipment, products for boat maintenance, among other sources of microplastics ( Deville et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Nonetheless, in Peru, plastic remains one of the most common sources of marine pollution ( De-la-Torre et al, 2021 ; Ita-Nagy et al, 2022 ; Deville et al, 2023 ), despite the existence of public policies such as Law No. 30884 ( El Peruano, 2018 ) which, as of 2018, prohibits the consumption of such materials in protected natural areas.…”