Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Empowering Local Practitioners To Collect And Report On Anthropogenic Riverine And Marine Debris Using Inexpensive Methods In India, Katharine A. Owens, Jaya Divakaran Sarasamma, Katie Conlon, Solomon Kiruba, Alwyn Biju, Niyathi Vijay, Manikandan Subramanian, Smitha Asok Vjayamma, Ayona Jayadev, Multiple Additional Authors

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article includes a review of the literature on marine debris in an Indian context and introduces a replicable, scientific, and inexpensive collection method to build capacity and inform policymakers. We share baseline data resulting from ten cleanups using these methods in India. This method was introduced in a 2019 workshop to train Indian researchers, leading to local-led collections in three states and two Union Territories (8 beaches, 2 riversides) yielding 33,474 individual pieces of debris weighing a total of 599.15 kg. Plastic was the most frequently found material at all ten collection sites, comprising from 45% to 89% of …