Daily apportionment of stranded plastic debris in the Bintan Coastal area, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to provide a baseline report of the apportionment of stranded plastic debris (macro) in Bintan Island beaches. Their quantity and composition were assessed during a 45-day survey demonstrating the occurrence of the 3378 plastic fragments, which were, in decreasing order, constituted by LDPE (22.9%), PS (19.5%), PP (16.6%), PET (10.4%), HDPE (9.2%), PVC (7.2%), PU (4.9%), polyester (4.7%), polyamide (4.3%), and styrene/butadiene (0.3%). The abundance ranged from 1.2 to 4.7 items/m2. Additional apportionment ranged from 0.03 to 0.15 items/m2 per day with an arithmetic mean of 0.09 ± 0.05 items/m2 per day, mainly related to domestic waste influenced by hydrodynamic action such as longshore current and wind dynamics. Furthermore, we suggested mitigation measures focused on local action to address the plastic debris problem in Bintan beaches, which are typical of the coasts of small islands in Indonesia.