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Catchment scale assessment of macroplastic pollution in the Odaw river, Ghana
Summary
This study quantified macroplastic transport and density across the Odaw River catchment in Ghana, dividing it into non-urban riverine, urban riverine, and urban tidal zones. The urban riverine zone had the highest plastic transport rates, while the urban tidal zone had the highest bank and land plastic density, with water sachets and soft plastic fragments most abundant.
Catchment-scale plastic pollution assessments provide insights in its sources, sinks, and pathways. We present an approach to quantify macroplastic transport and density across the Odaw catchment, Ghana. We divided the catchment into the non-urban riverine, urban riverine, and urban tidal zones. Macroplastic transport and density on riverbanks and land were monitored at ten locations in December 2021. The urban riverine zone had the highest transport, and the urban tidal zone had the highest riverbank and land macroplastic density. Water sachets, soft fragments, and foam fragments were the most abundant items. Our approach aims to be transferable to other catchments globally.