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Simultaneous Sampling of Plastic Waste and Alien Species in the Northernmost Part of Lake Garda (Italy) Using Seabin During Winter Season
Summary
Scientists used a floating trash collector called a Seabin to remove plastic waste from Italy's Lake Garda during winter and found significant amounts of tiny plastic pieces called microplastics in the water. The device collected over 90 grams of plastic waste, including about 13 pieces of microplastics per day, which is concerning because these tiny plastics can end up in drinking water and food. This study shows that even during quiet winter months when fewer people visit the lake, plastic pollution remains a serious problem that could affect human health.
Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution, along with alien species invasion, are of great concern for natural habitat preservation and human health, and are two important and concomitant likely causes for global biodiversity loss. In the present study, a Seabin, a device for buoyant waste collection in calm waters, was used to also characterize the waste collected in northernmost side of Lake Garda (Italy) in a period of very low anthropogenic pressure, the Winter season of 2024–2025. During the survey, 92.6 g of plastic was collected, i.e., a total of 540 pieces. About 6.9 mg of plastic per m3 of water was found, corresponding to about 0.04 plastic items per m3 and approximately 13 pieces of microplastics per day. Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identification showed that the plastic was composed mainly of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). Microorganisms (Diatoms, Bacillariophyta) and microcrack formation with deposits of inorganic matter (mainly Si, Al, O, Ca) were also evidenced by SEM/EDX in all the observed aged MP. Qualitative evaluation of the captured biota highlighted the presence of at least five alien species, including invasive Dikerogammarus villosus. This study describes an easy and cost-effective novel methodology for simultaneously monitoring plastic waste and alien species presence in calm waters, which acts also as a mitigation tool for plastic pollution. The results could be of interest not only to policymakers and scientists, but also for public health and for environmental monitoring.