A toolkit to monitor marine litter and plastic pollution on coastal tourism sites

Mismanaged waste at sea poses a great challenge to local marine systems. Plastic waste is considered the most abundant litter type in coastal tourism areas; yet, observational data fail to capture the full extent of plastic pollution on tourism beaches and its main drivers. This study aims to advance knowledge of marine litter and plastic pollution (ML&PP) sources, pathways, and drivers on tourism coastal sites. The research involves a 7-step toolkit to comprehensively assess marine pollution, by also engaging citizens in data collection. The toolkit provides a set of guidelines to identify, map, and quantify ML&PP, thereby supplementing to the current paucity of synoptic global analyses on marine pollution.