Coastal Waste Recycling: From Beach Collection to Circular Economy
A special issue of Recycling (ISSN 2313-4321).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1044
Editors
Interests: sandy beach ecology; marine pollution; biodiversity patterns and conservation biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue focuses on how coastal waste monitoring and large-scale clean-up initiatives can be transformed from reactive mitigation actions into strategic drivers of circular economy solutions. Its scope encompasses research linking beach litter surveys, citizen science programs, and mega clean-up efforts to reverse logistics systems, extended producer responsibility, and material reintegration into production chains. Contributions are invited on sustainability indicators of polluters, socio-economic drivers of waste prevalence in coastal zones, governance arrangements (public, private, and third sector), state and corporate investment, and cross-border management strategies, including meta-deposit frameworks. We also welcome studies addressing contamination risks, source-tracking approaches, and broader environmental indicators that connect marine debris to watershed dynamics and social inequality.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to bridge the gap between marine pollution monitoring and actionable circular economy pathways. While the existing literature often emphasizes ecological impacts, this collection advances integrative frameworks that combine ecological data, socio-economic indicators, governance models, and recycling innovations. By connecting coastal collection data to systemic waste management reform, the Special Issue aims to provide evidence-based tools to inform policy, guide investment, and strengthen transnational cooperation toward sustainable marine resource stewardship.
Dr. Leonardo Lopes Costa
Dr. Igor David Costa
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Recycling is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- marine debris
- circular economy
- reverse logistics
- coastal waste monitoring
- citizen science
- clean-up
- waste governance
- sustainability indicators
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