An inexpensive atmospheric microplastic collector for use in remote areas

An inexpensive, passive apparatus for measuring microplastic fibre deposition fluxes was locally constructed using readily-accessible materials and deployed at three locations around Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The simple design requires little specialized equipment, uses visual identification to 100μm, and the hot-needle test to identify microplastic fibres. It is intended for use by individuals and institutions in remote areas to establish trends in microplastic pollution in their communities. The average deposition flux for microplastic fibres in Whitehorse was observed to be 10±9fibresm−2day−1, with considerable variation between the north end and south end of the city: respectively 17±9 and 3±2fibresm−2day−1. Due to the dominant southerly winds, the difference is thought to represent the microplastic fibre source strength of Whitehorse: 14±11fibresm−2day−1.