A CASE STUDY ON SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL PLASTIC AND TYRE DEBRIS ON URBAN ROADS

Abstract

 While urban areas are the main source of plastic waste, almost no study has made on road pollution. High production rates of plastic waste are expected near train stations. In this study, we observed density of plastic and tyre particles on urban roads (particles / m², mg / m²) in Kawasaki City and Noda City, Japan. (1) The plastic density was reduced to one-fifth in areas with periodic road cleanings by the city government. (2) The plastic density was about 10 times higher near large, highly developped stations than in small stations. (3) In Noda City, where the main transportation is automobile, the proportion of tyre fragments was about 3 times higher than near train stations of Kawasaki City.