Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam

Plastic, valued for its low cost and durability, is widely used in various aspects of daily life. However, accumulative plastic waste (PW) has emerged as an increasing environmental concern that causes a negative impact on both public well-being and marine biodiversity. Studies on marine PW have foc...

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Main Authors: Thao Pham Thi Mai, Trinh Le Thi, Mai Vu Thi, Lam Mai Huong, Yen Ta Thi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2023-11-01
Series:Green Processing and Synthesis
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/gps-2023-0037
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author Thao Pham Thi Mai
Trinh Le Thi
Mai Vu Thi
Lam Mai Huong
Yen Ta Thi
author_facet Thao Pham Thi Mai
Trinh Le Thi
Mai Vu Thi
Lam Mai Huong
Yen Ta Thi
author_sort Thao Pham Thi Mai
collection DOAJ
description Plastic, valued for its low cost and durability, is widely used in various aspects of daily life. However, accumulative plastic waste (PW) has emerged as an increasing environmental concern that causes a negative impact on both public well-being and marine biodiversity. Studies on marine PW have focused primarily on the number of PW items collected without considering its accumulation in coastal areas. Hence, this study aims to address this gap by meticulously examining the mass and constitution of macro PW in the summertime mangrove ecosystems of Hau Loc, Cat Ba, and Nha Trang. This study revealed that the average densities of PW collected in Hau Loc, Cat Ba, and Nha Trang mangrove forests were 0.93, 0.23, and 0.18 items·m−2 in the morning collection, whereas the afternoon collection showed slightly lower densities of 0.31, 0.12, and 0.14 items·m−2 for the same locations. Although all PWs in the standard plots were collected in the morning, PWs were present in the afternoon after the rising tide. This initially proves that tide is one of the reasons for increasing the presence of PW in mangroves. The most common types of PWs collected included water bottles, plastic bags, ropes, freight lines, fishing nets, and sponge floats. When assessing the PW composition based on mass, low-density polyethylene was the dominant PW category in Hau Loc with 5.97 g·m−2. In Cat Ba, polypropylene was the highest with 11.87 g·m−2, while polyethylene terephthalate was the highest with 0.9 g·m−2 in Nha Trang during the morning sampling. The “Others” type of PW was not present in any of the three locations. This study provides useful information that can be a foundation for future studies to analyze the relationship between socio-economic activities and the presence of PW in mangroves. Additionally, they hold the potential to guide the formulation of targeted strategies aimed at curbing plastic pollution within Vietnam’s coastal regions.
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spelling doaj.art-a6be81268dea44f497d440391d69fb5b2023-11-20T07:16:08ZengDe GruyterGreen Processing and Synthesis2191-95502023-11-011217687110.1515/gps-2023-0037Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in VietnamThao Pham Thi Mai0Trinh Le Thi1Mai Vu Thi2Lam Mai Huong3Yen Ta Thi4Faculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resource and Environment, No. 41A, Phu Dien, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Noi, VietnamFaculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resource and Environment, No. 41A, Phu Dien, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Noi, VietnamFaculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resource and Environment, No. 41A, Phu Dien, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Noi, VietnamFaculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resource and Environment, No. 41A, Phu Dien, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Noi, VietnamFaculty of Environment, Hanoi University of Natural Resource and Environment, No. 41A, Phu Dien, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Noi, VietnamPlastic, valued for its low cost and durability, is widely used in various aspects of daily life. However, accumulative plastic waste (PW) has emerged as an increasing environmental concern that causes a negative impact on both public well-being and marine biodiversity. Studies on marine PW have focused primarily on the number of PW items collected without considering its accumulation in coastal areas. Hence, this study aims to address this gap by meticulously examining the mass and constitution of macro PW in the summertime mangrove ecosystems of Hau Loc, Cat Ba, and Nha Trang. This study revealed that the average densities of PW collected in Hau Loc, Cat Ba, and Nha Trang mangrove forests were 0.93, 0.23, and 0.18 items·m−2 in the morning collection, whereas the afternoon collection showed slightly lower densities of 0.31, 0.12, and 0.14 items·m−2 for the same locations. Although all PWs in the standard plots were collected in the morning, PWs were present in the afternoon after the rising tide. This initially proves that tide is one of the reasons for increasing the presence of PW in mangroves. The most common types of PWs collected included water bottles, plastic bags, ropes, freight lines, fishing nets, and sponge floats. When assessing the PW composition based on mass, low-density polyethylene was the dominant PW category in Hau Loc with 5.97 g·m−2. In Cat Ba, polypropylene was the highest with 11.87 g·m−2, while polyethylene terephthalate was the highest with 0.9 g·m−2 in Nha Trang during the morning sampling. The “Others” type of PW was not present in any of the three locations. This study provides useful information that can be a foundation for future studies to analyze the relationship between socio-economic activities and the presence of PW in mangroves. Additionally, they hold the potential to guide the formulation of targeted strategies aimed at curbing plastic pollution within Vietnam’s coastal regions.https://doi.org/10.1515/gps-2023-0037plastic wastemangrovesitemcompositiondimension
spellingShingle Thao Pham Thi Mai
Trinh Le Thi
Mai Vu Thi
Lam Mai Huong
Yen Ta Thi
Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
Green Processing and Synthesis
plastic waste
mangroves
item
composition
dimension
title Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
title_full Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
title_fullStr Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
title_full_unstemmed Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
title_short Initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in Vietnam
title_sort initial assessment of the presence of plastic waste in some coastal mangrove forests in vietnam
topic plastic waste
mangroves
item
composition
dimension
url https://doi.org/10.1515/gps-2023-0037
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