Posidonia Spheroids Intercepting Plastic Litter: Implications for Beach Clean-Ups

Nunziatina Porcino, Teresa Bottari (), Francesca Falco, Sabrina Natale and Monique Mancuso
Additional contact information
Nunziatina Porcino: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM)—CNR, Spianata San Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
Teresa Bottari: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM)—CNR, Spianata San Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
Francesca Falco: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM)—CNR, L. Vaccara 69, 91026 Mazara del Vallo, Italy
Sabrina Natale: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM)—CNR, Spianata San Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
Monique Mancuso: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM)—CNR, Spianata San Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: This study represents the first assessment of plastic waste within Posidonia spheroids on four sandy, Mediterranean beaches, each characterized by varying levels of anthropogenic influence. Fifty-five (68.7%) spheroids, out of eighty examined, included plastic litter. A total of 202 plastic items were isolated. Plastic abundance was 2.5 items/spheroid corresponding to 132 items per kilogram. The length of plastic items ranged from 0.1 to 50 mm. Fibers, tangled fibers and fragments were the most common shapes. The spheroids exhibited a substantial capacity for trapping plastic waste, with notable differences among the beaches. Our results underscore the significance of implementing a beach clean-up plan aimed at removing all spheroids to prevent them from disintegrating and releasing trapped plastic waste into the environment. Manual removal is recommended to safeguard the beaches, and this process should target all spheroids, regardless of their size. This study provides valuable insights that can inform marine litter monitoring programs, contribute to the development of tailored management measures, and support the implementation of specific action plans to mitigate Mediterranean microplastic pollution.

Keywords: beach management; ecosystem service; marine litter; plastics; Posidonia oceanica; spheroid (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/22/15740/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/22/15740/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:22:p:15740-:d:1276206

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().