This study reviews existing legal, institutional and policy tools and frameworks, relevant to the introduction and adoption of new marine litter clean-up technologies in two regional European seas, the Mediterranean and the Baltic. A combination of desk studies in six countries bordering the Baltic (Estonia, Germany, Sweden) and the Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, Tunisia), and interviews with experts and stakeholders, is used to identify key drivers and barriers to the adoption and diffusion of marine litter technologies. The main conclusion of the study is that the most influential pieces of legislation relevant to marine litter management are top-down EU policies, often forming the basis of regional and national plans. Moreover, the study finds that several drivers of marine litter technologies may at the same time be critical barriers. These factors include public awareness, consumer behaviour, enforcement of legislation, and the rise of SMEs engaged in recycling and eco-labelling of marine litter.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112611 | DOI Listing |
Environ Monit Assess
January 2025
Waste and Resource Management, Rostock University, Justus-Von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059, Rostock, Germany.
We conducted surveys of Mediterranean beaches in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia including 37 macro-litter (> 25 mm) and 41 meso-litter (5-25 mm) assessments. Our study identified key litter items and assessed pollution sources on urban, semi-urban, tourist, and semi-rural beaches. Macro-litter concentration averaged 5032 ± 4919 pieces per 100 m or 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Institute for Circular Economy Development, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 71300, Vietnam.
The health of humans, the economy, and the marine ecology are all seriously threatened by marine litter. Therefore, quantifying the scope of the issue is gaining more and more attention. Studying beach litter accumulation is one of the approaches to investigating its flows into the marine environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Environmental Technologies Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Microplastic is one of the most important environmental challenges of recent decades. Although the abundance of microplastics in water sources and water bodies such as the marine were investigated in many studies, knowing the sources of microplastics requires more studies. In this study, litter was investigated as one of the challenges of urban management and the sources of primary microplastic and secondary microplastic in the urban environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcol Lett
January 2025
Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYing Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao
October 2024
School of Fishery, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316000, Zhejiang, China.
Mangrove forests are crucial coastal "blue carbon" ecosystems, known for their significant carbon sequestration capabilities to "carbon neutrality" and mitigating global climate change. We used Pb radioisotope dating to analyze sedimentation rates in the sediments of the Oujiang River Estuary mangrove forest, to calculate organic carbon burial rate, and to assess the characteristics and sources of organic carbon burial. The results showed that the average total organic carbon content in the sediments was 1.
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