Sustainable Solutions for the Reduction, Monitoring and Management of Plastic Waste in Freshwater Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Public and political concern about plastic pollution has risen sharply in recent years, to a level where it is seen by some as a threat as serious as climate change.

Since its invention a century ago, plastic has become an integral part of the lives of billions of people. It has revolutionized everything from engineering to clothing, cooking, and retailing. It has been used extensively in the health and green energy sectors, saving lives and helping to safeguard our planet’s future (UNEP, 2018). 

However, some of the properties that have underpinned its success are also its undoing. Plastic’s low weight, low cost, ease of manufacture, and resistance to degradation have made it simultaneously ubiquitous and challenging to dispose of, resulting in one of our planet’s greatest environmental challenges (UNEP, 2018; Wentworth, 2016). 

Each year, an estimated 380 million tonnes of plastic is produced, 36% of which is single-use—plastic designed to be used only once and then discarded. Of this, we know that around 9 million tonnes ends up on the oceans (Jambeck et al., 2015). The vast majority of plastics that end up in the world’s oceans are carried there by rivers, yet plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems has received far less research attention than in marine environments.

Reducing the presence of (macro and micro) plastics in freshwater environments is fundamental to conserving both freshwater and marine ecosystems alike. However, gaps remain in our knowledge of the key sources of plastic pollution in freshwater environments, the most effective methods for monitoring and managing the plastic that does enter the freshwater environment, and the effects that it has on freshwater biota.

Understanding and managing plastic pollution effectively is a priority for environmental managers, researchers, policymakers, and businesses alike. In this Special Issue, we aim to address some of the knowledge gaps around plastic pollution in freshwater environments by inviting applied studies that explore sustainable solutions for the reduction, monitoring, and management of plastic waste in aquatic ecosystems. Articles may address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Studies that evaluate the effectiveness of alternative products, mitigation tools, or campaigns that aim to minimize the plastic waste entering freshwater environments.
• Socio-economic studies relating to freshwater plastic pollution or associated behavior change or education campaigns.
• Anthropogenic litter monitoring studies in freshwater environments.
• Citizen science in the monitoring of plastic pollution or in the removal of litter from freshwater environments.
• Experimental studies that test or report on the effectiveness of freshwater plastic monitoring or management initiatives.
• Studies exploring freshwater plastic pollution in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Lucy G. Anderson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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