What potential does the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive have for reducing plastic pollution at coastlines and riversides? An evaluation based on citizen science data.

Autor: Kiessling T; Kiel Science Factory, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) and Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 16i, 24118 Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: kiessling@leibniz-ipn.de., Hinzmann M; Ecologic Institute. Pfalzburger Strasse 43/44, 10717 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: mandy.hinzmann@ecologic.eu., Mederake L; Ecologic Institute. Pfalzburger Strasse 43/44, 10717 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: linda.mederake@ecologic.eu., Dittmann S; Kiel Science Factory, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) and Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 16i, 24118 Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: dittmann@leibniz-ipn.de., Brennecke D; Kiel Science Factory, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) and Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 16i, 24118 Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: dbrennecke@email.uni-kiel.de., Böhm-Beck M; Kiel Science Factory, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) and Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 16i, 24118 Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: boehm-beck@leibniz-ipn.de., Knickmeier K; Kiel Science Factory, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) and Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 16i, 24118 Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: kknickmeier@uv.uni-kiel.de., Thiel M; Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile; Center for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile; Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Coquimbo, Chile. Electronic address: thiel@ucn.cl.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Waste management (New York, N.Y.) [Waste Manag] 2023 Jun 01; Vol. 164, pp. 106-118. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 10.
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.03.042
Abstrakt: To address environmental pollution by plastic litter, the European Union adopted EU Directive 2019/904, the so called "Single-Use Plastics Directive" (SUPD), which bans several single-use plastic products and addresses additional items with measures such as extended producer responsibility and obligatory requirements for product redesign. This study assessed the potential of the SUPD to reduce litter pollution in the environment with three scenarios. The "best case" scenario assumed that all measures of the SUPD completely prevent targeted items from getting into the environment. Another scenario assumed that no measures besides bans were effective. An intermediate scenario assumed partial effectiveness of measures. Data of almost 5,000 sampling events from citizen science protocols (Plastic Pirates, International Coastal Cleanup, Marine Litter Watch) and the OSPAR protocol were used to analyse litter at riversides and coastlines in Germany and the European Union. 44 to 68% of litter items in citizen science protocols consisted of single-use plastics (cigarette butts were the most prominent items). At coastlines sampled by the OSPAR protocol, fishing gear and undefined plastics prevailed. The scenario analysis revealed that substantial litter reductions could be achieved in the "best case" scenario (upwards of 40%), while the intermediate scenario resulted in litter reductions of 13 to 25%. The marginal effect of the "only bans" scenario achieved a reduction of 2-6% in Germany and the European Union, respectively. Thus, depending on implementation and enforcement, the current SUPD can be an important first step, yet further legislative actions are needed to effectively prevent plastic waste pollution.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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