Current Plastic Waste Status and Its Leakage at Tam Giang–Cau Hai Lagoon System in Central Vietnam

Abstract

Plastic waste poses a significant threat to the environment, impacting both aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study aimed to quantify the leakage of plastic waste from urban and rural areas into the Tam Giang–Cau Hai lagoon system area in Vietnam. The research involved conducting surveys and sampling plastic waste in wards and communes surrounding the Tam Giang–Cau Hai lagoon system, as well as utilizing a waste flow diagram to calculate the amount of plastic waste leakage into the environment. The findings of the study reveal that the annual plastic leakage in this study area is approximately 479 tons. The majority of this waste enters the water body system, accounting for 74.1% of the total leakage, followed by land areas at 23.4% and land burning at 2.5%. Among the sources contributing to the wastewater flow in the area, households and markets were found to be the two primary contributors. Household waste accounted for 70.4% (2806 tons year−1) of the total, while the market sources accounted for 16.9% (675 tons year−1). This study marks the inaugural effort to assess the extent of plastic waste released from Hue City into the Tam Giang–Cau Hai lagoon system. It plays a pivotal role in examining the makeup, source of plastic waste and path of plastic waste leakage.