Riparian vegetation as a trap for plastic litter

Cesarini, Giulia; Scalici, Massimiliano

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118410

Cited by 81 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Litter density at S3 was higher in the zone with trees and shrubs farther from the river. This is in accordance to other riverbanks and on tidal zones were macroplastic abundance on the surface of vegetated areas is higher in comparison to the adjacent unvegetated areas (Cozzolino et al, 2020;Cesarini and Scalici, 2022). Macroplastic debris stored on the surface of alluvium, in riparian vegetation, and in river sediments can fragment and constitute the main source of secondary microplastics in river (see review in Liro et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…A study of 42 rivers and streams in 11 EU and non-EU countries confirmed that plastic litter items are the major fraction (82%) of floating macrolitter and showed the importance of smaller streams in contributing plastic litter items from the whole catchment of a river to the sea (González-Fernández et al, 2021). Measurements on riverbanks showed that plastic litter items represent 94% of macrolitter on the Adour River in France (Bruge et al, 2018), 81% on the Rhine-Meuse River delta in the Netherlands (van Emmerik et al, 2020a), between 87.5 and 100% on the Ems, Weser and Elbe rivers (Schöneich-Argent et al, 2020), 31% on many large and small rivers in Germany (Kiessling et al, 2019) and 81% in 8 rivers in central Italy (Cesarini and Scalici, 2022). Plastic debris were 150% heavier in mass than organic debris on Seine riverbank, in France (Tramoy et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Plastic pollution on Durance riverbank: First quantification and possible environmental measures to reduce it

Ballerini¹,

Chaudon²,

Fournier³

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing issues of our time, with negative impacts on natural ecosystems, human health, and the climate system. The identification of top litter items discarded in the environment is essential to prioritize environmental policies to prevent plastic leakage and promote a circular economy. Here, we present the first quantification of macrolitter on three sites along Durance riverbank and one site on Lake Serre-Ponçon's beach, in the Région SUD–Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Data were collected through citizen science between 2019 and 2020 in three sampling occasions (autumn, winter, spring) on Durance riverbank and in 22 occasions on Lake Serre-Ponçon. A total of 25'423 litter items were categorized, of which 82% were plastics. Single-use plastic items correspond to 8.13% of total, while single-use plastic bottles are among the top 10 litter items at each site. Median litter abundance across all samples is 2,081 items/100 m survey, two orders of magnitude higher than European precautionary threshold value for marine litter (20 items/100 m survey). The majority of items (74.83%) were small and non-identifiable. Pieces of polystyrene, soft plastics and rigid plastics represented the majority of litter items in total (56.63%) and at S1 (89.28%), S2 (58.95%) and S3 (79.60%). Glass pieces corresponded to 15.83% of total litter items. Soft plastic pieces are the most abundant litter category overall and correspond to 58.85% of litter items at sampling site along Durance riverbank located in an agricultural zone, suggesting their source from agricultural plastic mulch films. Among the identifiable items, the most abundant were plastic biomedia used in waste water treatment plants and single-use beverage bottles in plastic and in glass. The development of extended producer responsibility schemes for plastic mulch films and plastic biomedia and of deposit return schemes for single-use beverage bottles is suggested as a way to prevent leakage in the environment. This work confirms the opportunity to use citizen science to gather relevant data on macrolitter items and to monitor the effectiveness of environmental regulations to reduce plastic pollution.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic pollution on Durance riverbank: First quantification and possible environmental measures to reduce it

Ballerini¹,

Chaudon²,

Fournier³

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, although abiotic factors might have a central role for the downstream MA transport, biotic factors are also fundamental for understanding MA distribution (see Figure 6). Indeed, as mangroves and psammophilous plants block macroplastic litter in transitional and coastal habitats (Martin et al, 2019;Gallitelli et al, 2021b), aquatic and riparian vegetation may play a role in riverine macroplastic transport (Liro et al, 2020;Schreyers et al, 2021;Cesarini and Scalici 2022;.…”

Section: Main Factor Affecting Ma Distribution and Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riverine macroplastic gradient along watercourses: A global overview

Gallitelli

Scalici

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nowadays, plastics represent growing concern in aquatic habitats, harming more and more both ecosystem and human health. Since rivers are the main carriers of plastics to the sea, some studies were conducted on the transport of overall small plastics, but observations on big plastics (i.e., macroplastics) in rivers are poorly reported in the literature. Although most studies focused on plastic transport in the lower part of the rivers, research on the upper and middle zones are completely lacking. In this regard, this could influence the transport of plastics to the sea, with insights into the source and origin of macroplastics. Here, we aimed at overviewing macroplastic distribution along rivers, emphasizing on the global riverine plastic hotspot areas. First, 1) we analyzed and discussed the bibliometric analysis on macroplastics in rivers providing a framework for plastic pollution management. second, 2) we provided geographical insights into macroplastics by mapping global riverine plastic hotspot areas. Then, 3) we analyzed the main factors affecting macroplastic distribution and accumulation in rivers. Furthermore, 4) we assessed crucial gaps in riverine macroplastic accumulation, highlighting the importance of a plastic gradient in the horizontal transport along the entire river course (i.e., three river zones). Then, 5) we highlighted the lack of standardization regarding macroplastic size, concentration, and polymers that does not allow valuable comparisons among studies. At the end, 6) we concluded by providing future perspectives and conclusions on macroplastic distribution and accumulation in rivers worldwide. Our results might provide new insights into a comprehensive framework of macroplastic distribution along global rivers, suggesting the river rod approach as a way for future monitoring as all the complete course of a river plays a pivotal role in accumulating macroplastics.

show abstract

“…This is also in line with the percentage of waste by finding that these two types of waste materials are the most found. Wood, twig, leaves, and plastic usually come from wood that drifts from upstream rivers, and is carried to the sea, then thrown again by waves to the beach because of its low density [33,34]. Plastic waste is more dominant when compared to other types of waste, this is caused by certain factors, which according to Jambeck et al [15] that plastic is the dominant marine waste because plastic is a pollutant material that has been globally distributed in all waters.…”

Section: Composition Of Marine Debrismentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Recycle Marine Debris in Pluit Emplacement, Jakarta to Achieve Sustainable Reduction of Marine Waste Generation

Sari¹,

Inoue²,

Harryes³

et al. 2022

IJSDP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine debris is one of the global problems due to human activities. One of the biggest loads of marine debris is in the city of Jakarta, namely the Pluit Emplacement. Emplacement Pluit is a special location for managing marine debris in Jakarta, with the largest burden of marine debris problems discharged from urban areas. This study analyses aquatic waste's generation or marine debris, composition, and recycling potential at the Pluit Emplacement. The research process starts with formulating the problem, conducting a literature review, collecting data, and analyzing it under ideal conditions and planning. This research was conducted by sampling for seven consecutive days, and load count analysis to determine the generation and composition of marine debris. The marine debris composition is grouped using a load based on the volume/volume (v/v) ratio. The generation of marine debris in the Pluit Emplacement can reach 230 m3/day or 303.6 tons/day. However, this value is higher than other areas in Jakarta and other areas in Indonesia. The composition of marine debris consists of Straw (PET), Food packaging, Drink cup, PET Bottle, Miscellaneous packaging, Plastic bags (PP), Plastic toys (HDPE), Metal, Styrofoam, biodegradable waste (wood, twigs and leaves) which is 0.1%; 3.1%; 2.2%; 22.5%; 4.0%; 0.7%; 0.8%; 0.6%; 3.1%; and 62.8%, respectively. The level of potential for recycling of Pluit's marine debris is 67.86%, with the greatest potential being from the utilization of biodegradable waste into compost or recycling of plastic waste, especially PET plastic. This considers the absence of previous sustainable marine debris processing. These findings can be one of the considerations for the government in making decisions to carry out appropriate planning according to the characteristics of marine debris, that this research can also be used as consideration for regions and even other countries in the characterization and planning of marine debris management.

show abstract

Riparian vegetation as a trap for plastic litter

Cited by 81 publications

References 51 publications

Plastic pollution on Durance riverbank: First quantification and possible environmental measures to reduce it

Plastic pollution on Durance riverbank: First quantification and possible environmental measures to reduce it

Riverine macroplastic gradient along watercourses: A global overview

Potential of Recycle Marine Debris in Pluit Emplacement, Jakarta to Achieve Sustainable Reduction of Marine Waste Generation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About