Marine plastic debris pollution in coastal areas of Ayeyarwady, Myanmar

Marine plastic debris (MPD) pollution is ubiquitous in Asian coastal areas; however, there is limited information on the types of polymers and quantification of MPD in the coastal regions of Myanmar. This study collected beach plastic debris samples from low- and high-tide strandlines across three coastal areas in the Ayeyarwady region to quantify and characterize the abundance of macroplastics (>25 mm) and mesoplastics (5–25 mm). The mean abundance values of plastic debris in the low-tide strandline were consistent: 1.7±0.5 pieces/m2 in Ngayoke Kaung, 1.6±0.6 pieces/m2 in Chaung Thar, and 1.1±0.7 pieces/m2 in Ngwe Saung. In contrast, higher abundances of plastic debris were detected in the high-tide strandline, with 9.3±5.7 pieces/m2 in Ngwe Saung, 7.0±4.4 pieces/m2 in Chaung Thar, and 4.9±0.5 pieces/m2 in Ngayoke Kaung. This variation may be attributed to the larger size of the MPD and its entanglement with the large driftwood. The dominant shapes of the MPD found in low- and high-tide strandlines were fragments, films, and foam, typically white or transparent. The types of polymers were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared, revealing that polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) were the most abundant in all sampling sites. The primary sources of this plastic debris are likely consumer products such as food and drink packaging and aquaculture gear. The presence of plastic debris in Myanmar’s coastal areas may be linked to waste management practices, highlighting the need for enhanced environmental education within local communities to control plastic emissions into marine ecosystems.