Understanding plastic waste dynamics, correlations with hydrological extremes and its contributions to the development of innovative interception and mitigation solutions within Kingston Harbour, Jamaica

Mismanaged plastic waste continually accumulates in the marine environment. A large amount of its emission to the ocean originates on land and is transported by rivers, streams and artificial drains. However, monitoring efforts and knowledge building on the dynamics and quantification of these emissions based on field research is scarce and subject to local catchment scale.

Here, we present an experimental study of plastic waste transport and retention dynamics in artificial drains (gullies) subject to flash floodings in short drainage areas of Kingston, Jamaica. We developed a novel plastic waste piles survey using UAV and field measurements. The offered investigation has the potential for estimation of plastic waste piles (i) volumes and composition, (ii) transport-retention-remobilization cycles and (iii) correlation with local hydro-meteorology, especially during peak events, where most of the plastic waste is transported.

Until now, monitoring efforts were carried out on the lower stretch (1km) of three gullies flowing to Kingston Harbour and the Caribbean Sea during 90 days in the hurricane season of 2021 on a bi-weekly basis. The current dataset includes 24 orthorectified images of the gullies and plastic waste piles. Direct samples of the plastic waste piles are being collected for ground-truth validation. We observe that plastic waste piles are more prominent when large objects (such as refrigerators, tree branches or tyres) are present, forming a base for greater accumulation and affecting remobilization cycles.

These results are essential for understanding macroplastic transport processes and the development of innovative technological solutions preventing plastics inflow into the ocean. It has the potential to provide insights into the operational performance before and after the implementation of interception solutions or mitigation measures. Furthermore, it serves as baseline data to strengthen local policy-making on initiatives assessing harmful effects in surrounding ecosystems.