Macrolitter on the sandy beaches of Leizhou Peninsula: Composition, spatial distribution, and pollution status

This study investigated the abundance, composition, type, color, spatial distribution, and sources of marine macrolitter at 10 beaches on the Leizhou Peninsula, China and used three beach quality indices—the Clean Costal Index (CCI), Plastic Abundance Index (PAI) and Hazardous Index (HI)—to evaluate the pollution level at each beach. We collected a total of 1658 litter items weighing 40.30 kg, with an average abundance of 0.25 ± 0.35 items/m² and an average mass density of 3.13 ± 9.66 g/m². Plastic was the most prevalent litter type, accounting for 84.92 % of all litter items, and the largest proportion of litter items (47.47 %) were white. Pollution profiles varied distinctly across urban, rural, and remote beaches, and the primary source of litter was identified as coastal recreational activities, accounting for 86.31 % of all items. According to the CCI scores, the beaches ranged from “very clean” to “extremely dirty,” and the PAI scores indicated that plastic abundance similarly varied from “very low” to “very high.” Hazardous items were found on all beaches (except for beach W3) but at low abundances, with most beaches having an HI value ≤ 1, indicating a low risk level. Overall, the Leizhou Peninsula had a relatively low abundance of plastic and other marine litter. To strengthen coastal protection and management, we recommend long-term continuous monitoring of litter sources, composition, and transport dynamics—alongside targeted measures such as stricter regulation of marine production and tourism activities, promotion of eco-friendly materials and waste classification—to provide comprehensive scientific support for effective marine litter mitigation. • Macrolitter was first systematically investigated at 10 sandy beaches on the third largest peninsula in China. • Notable spatial variations in macrolitter pollution were observed across urban, rural, and remote beaches. • Three beach quality indices (CCI, PAI, HI) were used to evaluate the macrolitter pollution status. • 70 % of beaches exhibit low plastic abundance, minimal hazardous materials, and are rated clean or very clean status.