Plastic waste mapping and monitoring using geospatial approaches

Abstract

Riverine plastic pollution has received worldwide attention due to numerous challenges associates with it. This study is premised on the need to reduce plastic leakage from land-based sources into the ocean. Geospatial technology was used to model plastic leakage in Sungai Pinang, Pulau Pinang. This study proposed a citizen-based approach because the plastic waste project requires public participation. Citizen science application was used for plastic waste tracking along the river stretch. Collected data was then used to analyze plastic waste hotspot at the study area. The hotspot map shows that area has higher plastic waste at the middle of the study area which related to residential and recreational areas. Waste collection route was analyzed using the geographical information system (GIS) tool which is Network Analyst to identify the most efficient route collection from the waste point to Pulau Burung sanitary landfill. This GIS-based research method can be applied to other regions and data on the distribution can be used elsewhere. This paper shows how plastic tracking can be used to obtain information on riverine plastic pollution. Our research demonstrated that a combination of citizen science and a GIS technique can be utilized to improve public participation in raising awareness of marine plastic pollution.