Journal
| Title | Plastic litter pollution along sandy beaches in Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, Philippines Posted by Hernando Bacosa |
| Authors | Recca E. Sajorne, Hernando P. Bacosa, Genese Divine B. Cayabo, Lucio B. Ardines Jr, Joel D.C. Sumeldan, Jhonamie M. Omar, Lota A. Creencia |
| Publication date | 2021 |
| Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Volume | 169 |
| Pages | 112520 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Abstract | Marine plastic litter pollution has become an emerging threat to the Philippines, especially in Palawan. This study was conducted to investigate the macroplastic litter and determine the clean-coast index (CCI) of the residential and non-residential sites on the coasts of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Plastic litters were sampled from 21 coastal barangays by delineating a 50-m-long transect line with three 4 m à 4 m quadrats. The litter sampled were counted and sorted into categories. The results showed that 17 sites were contaminated with plastic litters. In terms of residential and non-residential sites, the east coast has thrice as much plastic, 2.61 items/m2 and 1.26 items/m2 compared to west coast with only 1.57 items/m2 and 0.14 items/m2, respectively. The plastics sampled were predominantly fishing line (nylon), food packaging, and fragments. The calculated CCI revealed that 76% of the sites sampled were categorized as dirty and extremely dirty. |
| Index terms / Keywords | Beach, Clean-coast index (CCI), Macroplastic, Marine plastic litter, Nylon, Palawan |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112520 |
| URL | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X21005543 |