COVID-19-related litter pollution on Greek beaches and nearshore shallow water environments br

COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in certain types of litter, many of which are expected to end up in the marine environment. The present study aimed to monitor the pandemic-related litter pollution along the Greek coastal environment. Overall, 59 beach and 83 underwater clean-ups were conducted. Litter was categorized as: PPE (face masks and gloves), COVID-19-related, single-use plastic (SUP) and takeaway items. PPE, dominated by face masks (86.21 %), accounted for 0.29 % of all litter. The average PPE density was 3.1 x 10-3 items m- 2 and 2.59 items/ 100 m. COVID-19-related items represented 1.04 % of the total. Wet wipes showed higher densities (0.67 % of all litter) than in the pre-COVID era, while no increase in SUP and takeaway items was observed. Benthic PPE, dominated by gloves (83.95 %), represented 0.26 % of the total. The mean PPE density was 2.5 x 10-3 items m- 2.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in litter pollution, particularly personal protective equipment (PPE), along the Greek coastal environment. The study found a high density of face masks and wet wipes, while the increase in single-use plastic and takeaway items was not observed.