Estimation of plastic waste inputs from the Kura-Aras Basin into the Caspian Sea

Abstract

Rivers could play a crucial role in moving plastic debris of all sizes and contributing to the growing environmental problem of marine plastic pollution. Most recent studies that have estimated the global contribution of plastic from rivers to the oceans or seas focus on coastal areas or major polluting rivers and ignore smaller rivers and individual basins. The present study investigated the solid waste generation rate, management, and final disposal methods in the Kura-Aras basin (KAB). It estimated the amount of plastic waste entering the Caspian Sea through this basin. The results showed that the condition of solid waste management in the KAB countries is unsatisfactory, and ∼91 % of the plastic waste generation in the KAB is mismanaged plastic waste (MPW), weighing 381,653 tons year⁻¹. The KAB carried 12,439 tons of MPW into the Caspian Sea each year, with the lowest amount being 3909 tons and the highest being 23,038 tons (by sensitivity analysis, ± 50 % of the base value). This amount equals 1–6 % of the annual mismanaged plastic waste in the KAB. According to our research, river basins must implement efficient strategies for managing and reducing plastic pollution.