Coastal plastic pollution: A global perspective

Beatriz Corrêa Thomé de Deus; Thaiane Cantarino Costa; Leslie Nascimento Altomari; Emília Marques Brovini; Paulo Sérgio Duque de Brito; Simone Jaqueline Cardoso

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116478

Coastal plastic pollution: A global perspective

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 May 11:203:116478. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116478. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Beatriz Corrêa Thomé de Deus¹, Thaiane Cantarino Costa¹, Leslie Nascimento Altomari¹, Emília Marques Brovini², Paulo Sérgio Duque de Brito³, Simone Jaqueline Cardoso⁴

Affiliations

¹ Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, 36036-900, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Postgraduate Program in Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Campus Universitário, Morro do Cruzeiro, 35400-000 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
³ VALORIZA Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Campus Politécnico, 10, 7300-555 Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal.
⁴ Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, 36036-900, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, 36036-900, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: simone.jcardoso@gmail.com.

PMID: 38735173
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116478

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems have ecological importance worldwide and require control and prevention measures to mitigate human pollution. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review to provide a comprehensive overview of the global issue of coastal plastic pollution. 689 articles were eligible for qualitative synthesis and 31 were considered for quantitative analysis. There was an exponential increase in articles addressing coastal plastic pollution over the past 50 years. Studies were mainly carried out on beaches, and plastic bottles were the most found item, followed by cigarette butts. Polyethylene was the predominant plastic polymer, and white microplastic fragments stood out. China published most articles on the topic and Brazil had the highest number of sites sampled. Meta-analysis had significant effect sizes based on the reported data. These findings carry significant implications for environmental policies, waste management practices, and targeted awareness campaigns aimed at mitigating plastic pollution.

Keywords: Anthropogenic pollution; Coastal management; Plastic debris; Plastic waste; Polymer.