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Assessment of macro- and microplastics in the mangrove bay of Gazi (Kenya): identity, quantity, distribution and sources

par Pelsmaekers, Elissa
Promoteur Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid
Co-Promoteur Janssen, Colin;Munga, Cosmas;Cannicci, Stefano
Publication Non publié, 2023-01-27

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Résumé :

Environmental plastic pollution in Kenya is a major issue as more than 80% of the total wasteis being mismanaged. This study assessed macro- and microplastic pollution in the mangroveforest of Gazi Bay, south coast Kenya. Plastic abundance, area covered, and mass of allplastics found on the ground and in the canopy were recorded. Afterwards, a comparisonwas made between different zones in the mangrove and the beach. The plastic recoveredwas categorised according to its type and use, and interviews were conducted with theinhabitants of Gazi village to discover the origin of the waste. The average abundance ofdebris was 0.79 ± 2.21 items.m-2, while an average of 0.16 ± 0.25 items.tree-1 (0.1 ± 0.24items.m-2) was found in the canopy. An average macroplastic ground cover of 0.29 ± 0.7 m2and tree cover of 0.22 ± 0.54 m2 was observed across all transects. The landward zonecontained 3 to 8 times more plastic on the ground than the seaward and beach zones, whileplastic abundance and cover on the roots and in the canopy were highest on the seawardtransects. The concentration of large microplastics (LMPs: 1-5 mm) varied strongly betweensamples. While the landward transects contained the most LMPs on average (0.41 ± 0.06LMPs kg-1 dry), the beach zone contained the most replicates that were contaminated(25.93% of all replicates). Both the data and the information gathered by the questionnaireconfirmed that most plastic recovered on the landward side was of domestic origin.Consequently, this study strongly advocates for the availability of better waste managementand recycling opportunities in Kenya.