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Pedestrian traffic is the main driver of macro- and large microplastic debris deposition in urban stormwater drains
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Monitoring of storm drain traps in London, Ontario, Canada over four seasons found that pedestrian foot traffic — not vehicle traffic — was the primary driver of plastic debris accumulating in urban drainage systems, with cigarette butts, food wrappers, and polystyrene foam being the most common items. The results suggest that targeted litter reduction campaigns in high-footfall areas could meaningfully cut the flow of plastics from cities into waterways.
Land-based sources are the greatest contributors of plastic pollution found in aquatic environments. Although plastic debris items spilling into natural watercourses from stormwater outflow sites have been investigated, this study provides details of the plastic items that can be trapped within stormwater drains prior to release. We examined macroplastic (>5 mm) and large microplastic (1–5 mm) debris that accumulated in LittaTrap TM devices at six drains over four seasonal periods in London, Ontario, Canada. Flotation, visual identification, microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to determine the drivers of plastic debris deposition. Macroplastics (MaPs) and microplastics (MPs) were identified in all 36 samples, and the totals ranged from 5–158 MaPs and 18–359 MPs per trap. Out of the 118 different MaPs found, the most common items were cigarette butts, wrappers, and expanded polystyrene. The main MPs were fragments, foams, and fibres. The most common macroplastic applications were “smoking”, “food/beverage packaging”, “household”, and non-food or beverage “packaging”. Microplastic particle compositions were mainly polyethylene and polypropylene, but other polymer types fall within the applications of construction (paints and resins), automotive/transportation, and electronics. The summer samples contained the greatest averages of plastic debris, and the drains located in busy pedestrian areas were associated with the highest debris counts. The results support pedestrian traffic as the main driver of plastic debris accumulation in urban London stormwater drains, which is controlled by seasonal weather conditions.
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Researchers quantified plastic debris composition and fluxes in stormwater runoff from a suburban Paris catchment, finding plastics comprised over 60% of macrolitter and estimating that separate sewer systems in the greater Paris area discharge 8–33 tons of plastic debris into the environment annually, establishing urban stormwater as a significant but poorly studied pathway for plastic pollution.
Microplastic sampling strategies in urban drainage systems for quantification of urban emissions based on transport pathways
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Researchers developed and applied microplastic sampling strategies across an entire urban municipal catchment under both dry and wet weather conditions, finding that wastewater treatment plants remove over 96% of microplastics but still emit 189 kg per year, while wet-weather emissions from high-traffic subcatchments reached 1,952 grams per population equivalent per year, far exceeding dry-weather levels.
Land use is the major control on macroplastic debris deposition at twenty-eight urban stormwater ponds
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A survey of 28 urban stormwater ponds in London, Canada found that land use was the dominant predictor of macroplastic debris type and abundance, with food packaging and smoking-related items concentrated near commercial and industrial areas. Stormwater ponds serve as critical plastic interception points before pollutants enter natural waterways, making land-use-informed management essential for reducing downstream plastic loads.
Microplastics in urban catchments: Review of sources, pathways, and entry into stormwater
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This review examines microplastic sources, transport pathways, and entry mechanisms into urban stormwater systems, identifying atmospheric deposition, tire and road wear particles, and micro-litter as major contributors and highlighting the need for improved source control strategies.
The influence of flow on the amount, retention and loss of plastic pollution in an urban river
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Researchers sampled both microplastics and macroplastics at four sites along an urban river in Ontario, Canada during normal flow and storm conditions. The study found that storm events significantly influence plastic transport dynamics, with flow conditions affecting how much plastic pollution is retained in or flushed through urban river systems toward downstream water bodies.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.