Assessment of floating plastic debris in surface water along the Seine River

Author: Johnny Gasperi, Rachid Dris, Tiffany Bonin, Vincent Rocher and Bruno Tassin
Year of Publication: 2014
Published: Environmental Pollution 195:163–166.

Abstract:
This study is intended to examine the quality and quantity of floating plastic debris in the River Seine through use of an extensive regional network of floating debris-retention booms; it is one of the first attempts to provide reliable information on such debris at a large regional scale. Plastic debris represented between 0.8% and 5.1% of total debris collected by weight. A significant proportion consisted of food wrappers/containers and plastic cutlery, probably originating from voluntary or involuntary dumping, urban discharges and surface runoff. Most plastic items are made of polypropylene, polyethylene and, to a lesser extent, polyethylene terephthalate. By extrapolation, some 27 tons of floating plastic debris are intercepted annually by this network; corresponding to 2.3 g per Parisian inhabitant per year. Such data could serve to provide a first evaluation of floating plastic inputs conveyed by rivers.

Keywords:
Floating plastic litter, Plastic loads, River, Riverine litter

Citation:
Gasperi, J., Dris, R., Bonin, T.l., Rocher, V., Tassin, B., 2014. Assessment of floating plastic debris in surface water along the Seine River. Environmental Pollution 195:163–166.

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749114003807