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Plastic in raw wastewater in Greenland
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Researchers quantified plastic in raw wastewater in Greenland, finding that plastic item count increased with decreasing particle size while plastic mass increased with increasing size, estimating approximately 2 tonnes of plastic discharged annually to the sea with about 60% of that total accounted for.
The goal of this project was to quantify plastic in wastewater in Greenland to identify appropriate measures to reduce plastic pollution in the Sea. The number of plastic items in the wastewater increased with decreasing size, while the mass of plastic increased with increasing size. Approximately 60% of the 2 tonnes of plastic estimated to be discharged annually to the sea by Greenland wastewater was wet wipes. This, despite all wet wipes traded in Greenlandic being clearly marked as non-flushable. Among the micro size plastic items, a significant fraction was of the same polymer types as the wet wipes and may therefore originate from the wet wipes. The main microplastic source is, however, likely to be laundry of synthetic clothes. Because wet wipes also pose annoyance by sewer clogging, elimination by the source either by banning of the retail sale of wet wipes or behavioral change campaigns to stop flushing is needed. Remaining larger items and a portion of the micro-plastics may be captured by installing simple mechanical filters.
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Wet wipes in untreated wastewater are a source of litter pollution to the arctic marine environment – a case study on the loads of litter and microplastics in wastewater effluents in Greenland
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This case study examined loads of litter and microplastics in untreated wastewater effluents in Greenland, finding that flushed wet wipes and other macrolitter items are discharged directly into the Arctic marine environment. The study documents wet wipes as a significant and avoidable source of both litter and microplastic precursors in Arctic coastal waters.
Antarctic wastewater: A local source of microplastic pollution
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Researchers identified for the first time that a wastewater treatment plant in Antarctica is a local source of microplastic pollution, detecting 64 to 159 particles per liter of wastewater. Over 90% of the identified particles were smaller than 50 micrometers, comprising common polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET, demonstrating the need for improved treatment technologies even in remote polar regions.
Microplastic and other anthropogenic particles in surface waters of the Isfjorden system (Svalbard)
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Researchers investigated anthropogenic particles including microplastics in the surface waters of the Isfjorden system in Svalbard, where untreated wastewater from Longyearbyen is discharged into Adventfjorden, analyzing particle distribution and classification across inflowing and outflowing water currents.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.