Assessment of Marine Litter Along the Tourist Coastline of Velipoja and Shëngjin, Albania, with Emphasis on Plastic Pollution

The aim of this study is to assess the quantity and distribution of marine litter, with a particular focus on plastic litter, along the coastal zones of Velipoja and Shngjin, Albania, areas that have experienced a significant increase in tourist flows in recent years.Sampling of marine litter was carried out following careful field observation and monitoring.Marine litter sampling took place during April and May 2025, prior to the start of the tourist season.The density of marine litter was calculated as the number of items per square meter (items/m 2 ), while the Clean Coast Index (CCI) was determined using a constant value of K = 20.According to the Clean Coast Index (CCI), the studied beaches exhibited varying levels of cleanliness: central section of the Velipoja coast was classified as moderately clean (CCI = 9.0), peripheral section of the Velipoja coast was also moderately clean (CCI = 6.6), while Shngjin coast was classified as clean (CCI = 2.4).Cigarette butts were the most common type of litter across all three sites, representing a major source of plastic pollution.On the central section of the Velipoja coast, they accounted for 56.63% of total marine litter, a phenomenon closely linked to the high influx of tourists in this area.Plastics comprised an average of 90.01% of total marine litter, with the highest proportion observed in the peripheral section of the Velipoja coast (92.03%) and the lowest in Shngjin coast (86.09%).Effective monitoring and management of marine litter by competent authorities and local stakeholders are of particular importance in reducing of marine litter in northern Adriatic coastline of Albania.