Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Waste Bank Management Model Around Lake Tondano Tourism Object in Supporting Sustainable Tourism Development

Researchers qualitatively studied the waste bank management model operating around Lake Tondano tourism sites in Sulawesi, Indonesia, examining how the system functions as a mechanism for sustainable tourism development and plastic waste reduction. They found that while waste banks provide a community-based framework for plastic collection and recycling, gaps in coverage and participation limit their effectiveness in preventing plastic from entering the lake ecosystem, including via microplastic pathways into fish.

2022 INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ocean plastic crisis—Mental models of plastic pollution from remote Indonesian coastal communities

Remote coastal communities in Indonesia are overwhelmed by plastic pollution despite low plastic literacy, largely because rising living standards have increased single-use plastic consumption while geography and poor waste infrastructure leave communities with few disposal options. The study highlights the need for supply-side interventions and better waste management systems, not just consumer education.

2020 PLoS ONE 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Role of Tourists and Impact of Knowledge, Behaviour, and Attitude Towards Plastic Waste Generation

Researchers surveyed tourists to assess how their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior influence plastic waste generation at outdoor recreation sites, finding that awareness gaps drive littering and that circular economy approaches could convert tourist-generated waste into local economic opportunity.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics, abundance, distribution, and degradation dynamics of microplastics in the high Colca-Chilli water transfer systems: Tracing an emergent pollutant to Andean reservoirs

Researchers characterized microplastic presence, distribution, and weathering state in four high-altitude Andean reservoirs in Peru's Colca-Chilli system, finding microplastics in all sites with UV degradation and wind transport as major factors shaping contamination.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Comportamiento de los Consumidores Frente al Uso De Bolsas Plásticas en las Ciudades de Ayacucho y Huancavelica – Perú

This study surveyed consumer behavior regarding plastic bag use in the Peruvian cities of Ayacucho and Huancavelica, using descriptive research methods with 167 consumers. The research provides data on consumer attitudes and practices relevant to evaluating the effectiveness of plastic bag reduction policies in Andean urban areas.

2023 Journal of Law and Sustainable Development
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Two Tropical Andean Lakes: Contrasting Human-Impacted and Minimally Disturbed Watersheds

Researchers compared microplastic contamination in two Andean lakes in Ecuador at different altitudes and with contrasting levels of human activity. They found that the lake influenced by agricultural and urban land use had higher contamination than the protected high-altitude lake, though both contained microplastics. The study helps clarify how different pollution sources and transport pathways contribute to microplastic presence in remote tropical freshwater systems.

2026 Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Investigating the knowledge, attitude and perception on microplastic pollution: a comparison between residents in Temerloh living in urban and rural areas

Researchers surveyed urban and rural residents of Temerloh, Malaysia, on their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of microplastic pollution, finding gaps in awareness that contribute to poor waste management behaviours and ongoing environmental contamination.

2023 UiTM Institutional Repositories (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Tourism as the Management Option for Litter Problems in Tasik and Leuweung Sancang Garut Coastal Areas, Indonesia

Researchers assessed marine debris and plastic litter problems along the Tasikmalaya and Garut coastline in Indonesia and evaluated sustainable tourism as a management strategy. They found that remote beaches had less contamination than village-adjacent beaches, and that tourism development without proper waste management worsened litter accumulation. The study recommends integrating sustainable tourism practices with waste reduction to address coastal plastic pollution.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a tropical Andean Glacier: A transportation process across the Amazon basin?

Microplastics were detected in an Andean glacier in Peru at high altitude, with atmospheric deposition from Amazonian cities identified as a likely transport pathway, expanding evidence that glacier cryospheres across South America are vulnerable to plastic contamination and may release stored particles as they melt.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of microplastics in water and commercial fish from a high-altitude mountain lake (Lake Titicaca)

Researchers evaluated the presence of microplastics in both water samples and the stomach contents of four commercially fished species from Lago Menor of Lake Titicaca, a high-altitude ancient lake at 3,809 m above sea level on the Bolivia-Peru border, documenting microplastic contamination in this remote ecosystem.

2022 PeerJ 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The Relationship Between the Perception of Environmental Pollution With the Tourist Experience of Visitors to Chimbote Bay

Researchers investigated the relationship between visitor perceptions of environmental pollution and tourist experience at Chimbote Bay, Peru, using a mixed-methods design combining qualitative interpretative and quantitative correlational approaches to determine how high industrial contamination levels influence visitors' experiences and intention to revisit.

2025 International Conference on Tourism Research
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Waste Separation Drivers in Urban Centers Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Model

Not relevant to microplastics — this study uses behavioral theory to identify what motivates residents of Balikpapan, Indonesia to separate household waste, finding that accessible facilities and past behavior are the strongest drivers, with no direct connection to microplastic research.

2024 Indonesian Journal of Computing Engineering and Design (IJoCED) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential risk of microplastics accumulation in farmland soils and vegetables from the development of rural tourism

Researchers compared microplastic levels in farmland soils and vegetables in tourism-developed versus traditional rural areas near Erhai Lake in China. Tourism-developed areas had roughly four times more microplastics in their soils and significantly higher contamination in locally grown vegetables. The study estimates that adults in tourism-developed areas ingest about 14,100 more microplastic particles per year through vegetables alone, highlighting how tourism-driven plastic waste can contaminate the local food supply.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic convergence in high-altitude lakes of the Tibetan Plateau: Mechanisms, indicators, and risk stratification

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in 14 high-altitude freshwater lakes above 4,500 meters on the Tibetan Plateau, a region far from major human activity. Microplastics were detected at every site, with PET as the dominant polymer type, suggesting long-range atmospheric transport and local textile sources. The study developed a geospatial risk model showing that precipitation, surface runoff, and proximity to roads are key factors driving microplastic accumulation even in these remote environments.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Perilaku Pengunjung dalam Membuang Sampah di Pantai Lampu Satu Kabupaten Merauke Papua

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it is a cross-sectional study examining factors — such as knowledge, attitude, gender, and age — that influence whether beach visitors in Papua, Indonesia properly dispose of their rubbish.

2023 Syntax Literate Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination of supraglacial debris differs among glaciers with different anthropic pressures

Researchers found that microplastic contamination in supraglacial debris varied significantly among three glaciers in the Italian Alps, with levels correlating to proximity of human activity and tourism pressure, confirming that anthropogenic influence shapes microplastic deposition even in remote high-mountain environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui

Through interviews with nineteen key decision-makers, researchers examined how Pacific Island nations are affected by plastics pollution through the lens of waste colonialism. The study argues that the flow of plastic waste from wealthy nations to Pacific communities represents a form of environmental injustice, with island nations bearing disproportionate impacts from pollution they did not create.

2022 Journal of Political Ecology 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding plastic-dependent urban coastal communities: Plastic handling practices and perceptions of urban villages of Iligan City, Philippines

Researchers examined awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of marine macro- and microplastic pollution among 70 coastal community residents in Iligan City, Philippines, finding that despite general awareness, plastic handling practices remained inconsistent with pollution reduction goals.

2025 Journal of Marine and Island Cultures
Article Tier 2

Primer reporte de microplásticos en los Andes Peruanos: el caso del Glaciar Paccha en la cordillera central, Huarochirí-Lima

Researchers report the first detection of microplastics in a tropical glacier in the Peruvian Andes, the Paccha Glacier in the central mountain range. Surface samples of snow and ice were collected and analyzed using micro-Raman spectroscopy to identify the polymer composition of suspected microparticles. The study provides evidence that plastic pollution has reached remote high-altitude ecosystems far from population centers.

2026 Ecología Aplicada
Article Tier 2

Abundance, density, and influencing indicators of solid waste accumulation and mitigation solutions along coastlines on Isla Colón in Bocas del Toro Province, Panamá

This study assessed solid waste accumulation and marine debris on Isla Colon in Panama, finding that tourism growth and inadequate waste management have significantly increased coastal pollution. The research documents a common challenge facing rapidly developing tropical island destinations where plastic waste threatens both ecosystems and tourism economies.

2018 SIT Digital Collections (SIT Graduate Institute) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving residential plastic waste management strategies for increasing value added to environmental sustainability

Researchers surveyed community awareness and behavior regarding plastic waste management in an Indonesian village, identifying gaps between knowledge and practice. Improving community engagement with proper plastic waste disposal is essential for reducing the plastic entering waterways and eventually becoming microplastics.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Sources Affecting Microplastic Contamination in Mountain Lakes in Tatra National Park

Analysis of 11 Tatra National Park mountain lakes found that global atmospheric transport was the dominant microplastic source rather than local tourism activity, with lake morphometry and elevation influencing contamination levels in these UNESCO-protected alpine ecosystems.

2024 Resources 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in tropical island estuaries in China: Source identification and management framework development

Researchers found surprisingly higher microplastic concentrations in the less-urbanized Wanquan River Estuary compared to the Nandu River Estuary in Hainan Island, China, suggesting that tourism and agricultural activities may contribute more significantly to microplastic pollution than urbanization alone.

2025 Marine Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in rural and urban surface waters: the cases of Lake Sampaloc and Lake Yambo in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines

This study compared microplastic contamination in two Philippine lakes with different human-use profiles — one used for ecotourism and one more urbanised — finding microplastic particles in both, with characteristics reflecting local pollution sources. The results underscore that freshwater lakes, even smaller and less-studied ones, are not spared from microplastic pollution and warrant greater monitoring attention.

2023 SciEnggJ 6 citations