Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in beach sediments along Phuket coastline

Phuket is a popular tourism destination in Thailand. This study examined the distribution of microplastics found on beaches along the East and West coasts of Phuket including Tri Trang, Patong, Kalim, Chalong, Makham, and Rawai beaches. A total of 18 samples from a 0.5 m × 0.5 m quadrat at the intertidal zone were sorted into >300-μm and 20-300-μm size classes. For all sizes combined, the mean abundance was 188.3 ± 34.5 items kg^-1. White (29.2%) and fiber (85.6%) were the most abundant plastic; and the polymer types based on μFTIR analysis were PET > PS > PP > PU > PVC > Epoxy with a great amount of cotton and regenerated cellulose also detected. Principal component analysis indicated the correlation between PET, regenerated cellulose, PP and PU with Chalong and Patong beaches, suggesting that highly visited tourist beaches with harbor activities, and a tourist departure point, are possible sources of microplastics.