Rossi Alessandra, Wu Meiyin, Wolde Bernabas T, Zerbe Kevin W, David Hsu Tsung-Ta, Giudicelli Ariane, Da Silva Rosana
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave., Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA.
New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program, 17 Battery Place, New York, 10004, USA.
Heliyon. 2023 Mar 15;9(3):e14245. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14245. eCollection 2023 Mar.
Some urban areas have more litter than others. Understanding the reason for this is important not only for dealing with urban littering but also for marine water quality because approximately 80% of the world's marine litter originates on land. This study aimed to better understand the quality and quantity of litter on sidewalks along with the sampling site's socio-economic attributes to better discern why some areas have more/different litter than others and what, if any, are the implications for a more tailored waste management strategy. We surveyed twice each of the 35 sites we selected from the Lower Passaic River watershed and the related Harbor Estuary within New Jersey, U.S.A. A total of 28,431 litter items were recorded with a total mass and volume of 245.8 kg and 4.7 m, respectively. Floatable items accounted for 66% of all objects collected. Cigarette butts were the most numerous among all items (28%) and represented 43% of the total floatable items, the remaining 57% being represented by potentially recyclable items such as plastic, rubber, and Styrofoam. Stepwise linear regression was used to explore the relationship between the litter collected and various predictors. Among others, the results suggest the importance of strategically placing collection bins around properties with relatively lower assessed values, outdoor smoking areas, close to schools, and places where people predominantly walk to their destination. Possible management strategies include prohibiting single use plastic bags, limiting foam food ware, public education, and outreach.
一些城市地区的垃圾比其他地区更多。了解其原因不仅对处理城市垃圾很重要，对海洋水质也很重要，因为全球约80%的海洋垃圾源自陆地。本研究旨在更好地了解人行道上垃圾的质量和数量，以及采样地点的社会经济属性，以便更好地辨别为何有些地区的垃圾更多/不同，以及对于更具针对性的废物管理策略而言有哪些影响（若有的话）。我们对从美国新泽西州下帕塞伊克河流域及相关港口河口选取的35个地点各进行了两次调查。共记录了28431件垃圾，总质量和总体积分别为245.8千克和4.7立方米。可漂浮物品占所有收集物品的66%。烟头在所有物品中数量最多（占28%），占可漂浮物品总数的43%，其余57%由塑料、橡胶和泡沫聚苯乙烯等潜在可回收物品构成。采用逐步线性回归来探究所收集垃圾与各种预测因素之间的关系。结果表明，在评估价值相对较低的房产周围、室外吸烟区、靠近学校以及人们主要步行前往目的地的地方战略性地设置垃圾桶很重要。可能的管理策略包括禁止使用一次性塑料袋、限制泡沫食品餐具使用、开展公众教育及宣传推广。
