Work

From macro to micro: Comprehensive marine beach litter analysis using portable NIR

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The exponential growth of plastic production, combined with inadequate management of plastic waste, is increasing plastic pollution across all environments. Over the past decade, many countries have developed national strategies to monitor litter in marine environments, and on beaches these often involve monitoring either macrolitter and/or microlitter. Understanding the dynamics between different size fractions in the environment is crucial for a better understanding of the plastic cycle. Challenges remain in linking the information obtained from existing monitoring strategies: detailed categorisation of macrolitter based on the Joint List of Litter Categories developed by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive Technical Group on Marine Litter, and the analysis of microplastics from beach sediments, which usually includes determining morphological characteristics, colour, size, and chemical composition. The determination of polymer types in plastic macrolitter is not part of current monitoring. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of marine beach litter in Slovenia, focusing on all three size classes of marine litter: macrolitter, mesolitter, and microlitter, and demonstrates the difficulties in comparing data between these size classes. The average densities observed were 0.38 macrolitter m −2 , 29.42 mesolitter m −2 and 27.51 microlitter kg −1 dry sediment. The majority of macrolitter originated from building and construction, as well as items related to food consumption. By introducing polymer type identification, the accuracy and efficiency of litter categorisation can be improved, contributing to a more precise understanding of the correlation between different size classes, litter composition, dynamics, and sources of plastic pollution in coastal areas. • First simultaneous assessment of macrolitter, mesolitter and microlitter on a beach in Slovenia. • Plastic dominated all size classes, with macrolitter mainly linked to construction and food waste. • Portable NIR spectroscopy enabled rapid polymer identification for mesolitter and macrolitter. • Results emphasise the need for harmonised monitoring strategies in beach litter surveys.

Source: Marine Pollution Bulletin

DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.119172

Authors: Bizjak Tamara, Bizjak Tine, Stres Blaž, Likozar Blaž, Novak Uroš

Institutions: Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, National Institute of Chemistry

Language: English

Topic: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life below water, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,740