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A review of remote sensing technology for plastic waste monitoring
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This systematic review evaluates how remote sensing technologies like satellites and drones can detect and monitor plastic waste in the environment. Better monitoring of plastic pollution helps track how plastics break down into microplastics that can eventually enter our food and water, making this technology important for protecting human health.
Plastic waste pollution has become a critical environmental challenge that requires innovative monitoring approaches to support effective environmental management. This systematic review synthesizes recent advancements in remote sensing (RS) technologies for plastic waste detection, analyzing 84 studies published between 2018 and 2024 following PRISMA guidelines. The review evaluates RS platforms, sensor types, spectral ranges, classification methods, and polymer identification across diverse environmental settings. Satellite platforms dominate large-scale marine monitoring (45% of studies), while unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) excelled in high-resolution coastal applications (23%). Correspondence analysis identified four distinct research clusters optimized for specific platform-environment combinations. Supervised learning was most prevalent (50%), though deep learning approaches and hybrid models show emerging promise. Polyethylene was most frequently detected across platforms. Limitation of the research field includes geographic bias towards European sites (> 50%), focus on controlled conditions rather than operational deployment, inability to detect microplastics, and lack of standardized protocols. The review also highlights emerging developments in RS technologies, including spectral mechanisms that support polymer discrimination and ongoing gaps in plastic monitoring. An integrated framework is proposed that combines multi-platform Earth Observation (EO), machine learning, and citizen science to enable scalable plastic waste monitoring. The findings provide theoretical and practical insights to guide future sensor design, algorithm development, and global monitoring strategies.
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This review examines how remote sensing technology, including satellites and drones, is being used to monitor marine pollution such as oil spills, floating debris, and microplastics. While the technology works well for detecting large-scale pollution, methods for tracking microplastics in the ocean are still in early development. Better monitoring tools are needed to understand the full scope of marine microplastic pollution, which ultimately affects seafood safety and human health.
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This review examines recent improvements and remaining challenges in using remote sensing to detect plastic waste on land and in water. Researchers discuss how spectral similarities between plastics and hydrocarbons enable infrared detection, and what advances are needed for operational monitoring systems.
Satellite sensors as an emerging technique for monitoring macro- and microplastics in aquatic ecosystems
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This review assessed the emerging use of satellite remote sensing technologies for monitoring macro- and microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, evaluating current capabilities and limitations of different satellite sensors for detecting waterborne plastic debris.
Advances and challenges in plastic detection: a critical review of studies employing hyperspectral data
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This review pulls together nearly a decade of research on using satellites, drones, and special cameras to spot plastic pollution from above by detecting its unique light signature. The technology works better for common plastics like plastic bags and bottle caps, but struggles with clear plastics or those that are wet, weathered, or mixed with other debris—meaning our current tools may be undercounting how much plastic pollution is actually out there, including the waste that eventually breaks down into microplastics in our water and food supply. Better detection methods could eventually help track and clean up plastic pollution before it fully breaks down into the tiny particles now being found in human blood,
Advances and challenges in plastic detection: a critical review of studies employing hyperspectral data
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This review pulls together 29 studies on using satellites, drones, and special cameras that read light beyond what our eyes can see (hyperspectral imaging) to spot plastic pollution in the environment. The technology works better for some plastics (like common packaging materials) than others, and still struggles when plastic is wet, degraded, or mixed with other debris—meaning better tools are needed before we can reliably track where plastic waste ends up in our air, water, and soil. This matters because the more we can map plastic pollution at its source, the better equipped we are to reduce the microplastics that eventually make their way into our food, water, and bodies.
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