Clean environment index: A new approach for litter assessment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Ecology
• Pollution Studies

Background:

• Littered waste is a pervasive issue in urban settings.
• Assessing urban environmental pollution requires effective metrics.
• Cigarette butts are a major component of littered waste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate urban environmental pollution using a novel index.
• To determine the composition and spatial distribution of littered waste.
• To compare pollution levels across different urban land-use types.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of a new Clean Environment Index (CEI).
• Quantitative analysis of littered waste composition and quantity.
• Spatial assessment of pollution levels across the study area.
• Comparative analysis of CEI values for residential and commercial land uses.

Main Results:

• Cigarette butts constituted the largest proportion (58%) of littered waste.
• The overall study area exhibited a moderate pollution status according to CEI.
• Forty percent of the study area was classified as dirty or extremely dirty.
• Residential land use showed a clean status (CEI=3.38), while commercial land use was dirty (CEI=15.05).

Conclusions:

• The Clean Environment Index (CEI) is a capable tool for assessing littered waste pollution.
• CEI can be effectively applied to evaluate pollution in urban sidewalks and other environments like beaches.
• Findings highlight significant spatial variations and land-use-specific differences in urban litter pollution.