Quantification of macroplastic litter in fallow greenhouse farmlands: case study in southeastern hungary

Background

Plastic greenhouse farming has become widespread worldwide because of its contributions to various agricultural production. However, it also generates plastic waste in large quantities and pollutes farmlands. Contrary to studies on microplastics, few studies have quantified macroplastic contamination in agricultural farmlands despite its contribution to the production of microplastics through fragmentation. Thus, there is a paucity of knowledge on the levels and characteristics of macroplastics in greenhouse environments. Thus, this study aimed to quantify and examine the macroplastic litter on soil surfaces under fallow greenhouse farmlands.

Results

The study was conducted at three sites in Southern Hungary, where the usage of plastic greenhouses is very common for cultivating vegetables. On the studied fallow plots, the overall mean abundance of macroplastics was 431 pieces/ha or 6 kg/ha. Most of the fragments had 0.5- to 5-cm sizes. The macroplastic fragmentation in the area was well detected and was an ongoing process. The dominant plastic types were polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride in the form of films and fragments. The results showed that agricultural litter comprised 90% of the total contamination, whereas nonagricultural litter (10%) due to illegal littering also appeared on the plots.

Conclusions

Given that macroplastics were found in the studied greenhouse farmlands, we recommend the following: (1) careful cleaning and disposal of plastics on greenhouse farmlands and (2) prevention of greenhouse farmland contamination by external and nonagricultural contaminants. Besides, further research is needed to elucidate the duration of macroplastic fragmentation to microplastic contaminants in greenhouse environments.