Challenges on Marine Litter Issues in the Adriatic

Abstract

Marine litter places significant burden on beaches, marine surface, marine bottom and biota of the Adriatic Sea. It results mainly from inappropriate waste management on land. The paper analyses quantities and composition of marine litter and its sources, the threat of plastics, the approach to circular economy and waste management in Croatia and presents proposals for circular flow of materials with minimum leakage into the ecosystems and novel approach to marine litter issue. The solution of marine litter problem is in waste management involving source separation, numerous local sorting facilities, home composting, municipal composting and biogas production, with minimum resources left for disposal as well as implementing the policies to reduce and modify packaging, the materials used therefor and to avoid one-use and disposable plastic materials, that implying a change of habits, intervention in supply chain and increasing domestic supply.