Debris Surveys in Three African Cities Demonstrate Influence of Local Clean-Up Efforts

Tim Reid, Qamar Schuyler, Chris Wilcox, Refilwe Mofokeng and Britta Denise Hardesty ()
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Tim Reid: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia
Qamar Schuyler: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia
Chris Wilcox: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia
Refilwe Mofokeng: College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Mazisi Kunene Road, Glenwood, Durban 4041, South Africa
Britta Denise Hardesty: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Plastic debris is a significant problem aesthetically, environmentally, and across food chains. Hence it is important to increase understanding of the mechanisms of how this debris is distributed and potentially managed, especially in areas such as Africa with relatively large populations and poor infrastructure. Debris can be derived from local sources (such as the resident population) or from further afield via wind or ocean currents. We investigated these by systematically measuring debris density in sites on land and on coastal sites in three regions around Africa (Cape Town, Durban and Mombasa), and compared these between and within regions. We then compared them to simulated flows of debris on currents in the surrounding ocean to hypothesize likely sources of debris. Comparisons of relative quantity and makeup of inland and coastal debris suggested different patterns at different sites. We expected the Agulhas Current (coming from Indian Ocean and east coast Africa) to be a strong source of debris and therefore have a strong effect on the arrival of debris in eastern coastal sites, and the Benguela Current (from the southern Atlantic Ocean) to have a weaker effect. However, the evidence collected here seemed mixed in support of this and was greater in support of debris coming predominantly from local sources.

Keywords: designed survey; International Coastal Cleanup; oceanographic modelling; plastic pollution; marine debris (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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