The abundance and composition of shoreline litter on Malapascua Island, the Philippines: approaches to the solid waste management problem.

The amount of waste produced globally is continuously on the increase, leading to marine debris appearing on coastlines and oceans worldwide. There have been recent solutions to help reduce waste, as well as reusing and upcycling playing a significant role to minimise waste. This study examines the amount of marine debris on the beaches of Malapascua Island, in the Philippines, as an example. By conducting beach surveys, over 5000 pieces of rubbish were collected, with the study suggesting that the beaches with the greatest levels of debris occur next to villages. This highlights how the lack of education and different attitudes on the island is leading to poor waste disposal and management strategies. As a hotspot for tourists, especially divers, Malapascua must find solutions and alternatives to the poor waste management, to keep the numbers of tourists on the increase. With the help of the NGO ‘People and the Sea’ and these findings, there have been some positive steps taken with the solid waste management problem.