Properties and Categories of Non-biodegradable Waste Items found in Beach Litter

• Published in: Journal of the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 94 - 105
• Main Authors: Okano, Tamon, Yasumoto, Motoki, Andou, Shigeki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management 2010
• Subjects: beach litter; floating marine debris; monitoring method; plastic wastes; source classification
• ISSN: 1883-5856; 1883-5899; 1883-5899
• DOI: 10.3985/jjsmcwm.21.94

With the aim of establishing a convenient and accurate method for monitoring floating marine debris that is not easily degradable, we investigated the various articles of waste in the litter that accumulates on the beaches of Tottori. This is an area where litter from every Asian Pacific region is supposed to drift ashore. Surveys were carried out a total of eight times between the years 2005 and 2008 on a 500m strip for each different beach. The surveys showed that the different types of articles were unevenly distributed, and both the kinds and numbers varied greatly. Unfortunately, the total amount of any particular item found in the accumulated litter was not proportional to the total amount of what was washed ashore. It became necessary, therefore, to monitor limited items periodically, while removing them. In selecting items, attention was paid to their individual characteristics, such as if they were prone to sinking, if they were stable in water, or if they were region-specific items. We classified the articles into four major groups : consumer goods, fishery-related items, agricultural and medical implements. The consumer goods were further divided into : articles for indoor use, outdoor use, or both indoor and outdoor. In this grouping, drink bottles were classified as indoor and outdoor use, for example, according to their volume and not their composition. As the source for this kind of litter is common to every region, periodical monitoring of the items that appear often for each group is a practical method for surveying.