Plastic debris in the marine environment is widely documented, but the quantity of plastic entering the ocean from waste generated on land is unknown. By linking worldwide data on solid waste, population density, and economic status, we estimated the mass of land-based plastic waste entering the ocean. We calculate that 275 million metric tons (MT) of plastic waste was generated in 192 coastal countries in 2010, with 4.8 to 12.7 million MT entering the ocean. Population size and the quality of waste management systems largely determine which countries contribute the greatest mass of uncaptured waste available to become plastic marine debris. Without waste management infrastructure improvements, the cumulative quantity of plastic waste available to enter the ocean from land is predicted to increase by an order of magnitude by 2025.

Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean

Supplementary Materials for Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean

Sustainability of using composting and vermicomposting technologies for organic solid waste biotransformation: recent overview, greenhouse gases emissions and economic analysis

Indigenous Research Methodologies

Environmental Problems in an Urbanizing World

Systems approaches to integrated solid waste management in developing countries.

Source water protection programs and Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States: A scoping review

The impacts of wastewater on Indigenous drinking water sources is an issue of concern across Canada. This study investigated the wastewater impacts on groundwater resources at a First Nations reserve located on a vulnerable fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifer in southern Ontario. The objectives were to examine the spatiotemporal variability of a variety of tracers of wastewater and their movement to groundwater. The tracers included nitrate, E. coli, total coliforms, and the artificial sweeteners sucralose, acesulfame, and cyclamate. Isotopes in the groundwater were also examined, including tritium and the isotopes of oxygen and nitrogen in dissolved inorganic nitrate. Three multilevel monitoring systems (seven-channel continuous multi-channel tubing) were retrofitted in unused drinking-water wells on the reserve and monitored from December 2015 to November 2016. Results indicate that groundwater at various depths has been impacted by the septic systems on the reserve. The fractures intersected by the three retrofitted wells contain a mix of newly recharged and older water, and contaminant peaks do not always correspond with ports aligned with higher hydraulic conductivity, showing variable travel times for the constituents. The selection of wastewater management systems that are appropriate for the particular hydrogeological setting on the reserves is critical to providing safe, clean drinking water to Indigenous communities. In particular, special consideration should be made for communities situated on fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifers with thin overburden.

Wastewater impacts on groundwater at a fractured sedimentary bedrock site in Ontario, Canada: implications for First Nations’ source-water protection

It is well known that watershed-based source water protection programs are integral to the provision of clean drinking water. However, the involvement of Indigenous communities in these programs is very limited in Canada, which has contributed to the vulnerability of Indigenous source waters to contamination. Through a partnership with an Anishinaabe community, this research aimed to identify challenges and opportunities for communities and practitioners to improve the protection of Indigenous source waters in the province of Ontario. The methodology followed the Indigenous research principles of relationship, respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility. Interviews and a youth focus group were conducted with Indigenous community members and practitioners from industry, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government. Analysis was conducted using an iterative process to develop codes and themes in the qualitative data analysis software NVivo. Results indicated that issues with scale, jurisdiction, the concept of source water protection, representation, funding, and capacity impact efforts to protect Indigenous source waters. Hopeful recent developments and upcoming opportunities were identified, and a water protection framework for First Nation communities in Ontario was developed in partnership with an Anishinaabe water protection committee. Recommendations are provided to multiple sectors for moving forward respectfully, and effectively, towards the protection of Indigenous waters.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/11/2957/pdf

Moving towards Effective First Nations’ Source Water Protection: Barriers, Opportunities, and a Framework

Granular activated carbon (GAC) and anion exchange resins (AER) are commonly used for the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). This contribution reports on a continuous-flow pilot-scale system operated...

Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Contaminated Groundwater by Granular Activated Carbon and Anion Exchange Resins: A Pilot-Scale Comparative Assessment

Rachael E. Marshall

Papers

Systems approaches to integrated solid waste management in developing countries.

Source water protection programs and Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States: A scoping review

Wastewater impacts on groundwater at a fractured sedimentary bedrock site in Ontario, Canada: implications for First Nations’ source-water protection

Moving towards Effective First Nations’ Source Water Protection: Barriers, Opportunities, and a Framework

Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Contaminated Groundwater by Granular Activated Carbon and Anion Exchange Resins: A Pilot-Scale Comparative Assessment