Paradise Trashed: Sources and solutions to marine litter in a small island developing state

Krista M Verlis; Scott P Wilson

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2019.12.020

Paradise Trashed: Sources and solutions to marine litter in a small island developing state

Waste Manag. 2020 Feb 15:103:128-136. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.12.020. Epub 2019 Dec 24.

Authors

Krista M Verlis¹, Scott P Wilson²

Affiliations

¹ Macquarie University, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: krista.verlis@gmail.com.
² Macquarie University, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 31874416
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.12.020

Abstract

Anthropogenic marine litter pollution is a serious issue facing oceans worldwide. Limited data exists on this pollution issue for South Pacific Island nations and for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in general. This study presents the first extensive baseline survey of macro-sized marine litter on Mo'orea (0.75 items m^-2) and Tahiti (0.95 items m^-2), French Polynesia. Not unexpectedly, marine litter was dominated by plastics (58%); however, glass also made up a significant portion (21%). Sixty percent of recovered marine litter from both islands was derived from local land-based catchments, indicating that the bulk of the litter is from local sources. Measures to address the waste issue in French Polynesia will be discussed with a cash-for-container scheme for locally produced beer showing promising positive environmental results, and further strategies for waste management in SIDS raised.

Keywords: French Polynesia; Island states; Litter; Microplastics; Waste management.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring*
Islands
Oceans and Seas
Plastics
Polynesia
Waste Products*

Substances

Plastics
Waste Products