A survey to determine whether Mount Snowdon could be turned into a plastic-free zone has revealed large amounts of microplastics on the Welsh summit.
The survey — conducted by the French geophysical services company CGG — found that plastics accumulated where people tend to congregate on the mountain.
Furthermore, the researchers reported that microplastics particles represented a concerning 5 per cent of the total sample that they collected at Snowdon’s summit.
The findings come after reports that ‘staycations’ have caused tourist numbers on Snowdown to soar — with July once seeing a 45 minute queue for the summit.
A survey to determine whether Mount Snowdon (pictured) could be turned into a plastic-free zone has revealed large amounts of microplastics on the Welsh summit
‘These results are a stark reminder of how persistent plastic is when it gets into the environment,’ said Snowdonia Society director John Harold, who is also chair of Partneriaeth Yr Wyddfa (the ‘Snowdon Partnership’).
‘A huge amount of litter is cleared by staff and volunteers —but by no means all gets picked up,’ he continued.
‘This work shows what happens when plastic is let loose in the soils and freshwater of our precious protected areas; it breaks into countless particles and we lose control of it.
‘Once again this really highlights the need for us all to be extra careful when visiting protected areas,’ he concluded.
From their findings, the CCG scientists have determined a ‘microplastic pollution index’ for Snowdown, which is used to help local authorities, government agencies and other organisations identify areas of plastic leakage.
The index indicated that the lion’s share of microplastic particles found on Snowdown were either considerably abraded pieces of large plastic bodies, or plastics fibres shed from items of clothing.
With the study complete, the Snowdonia National Park Authority will now look to using the data to make the public more aware of plastic pollution — alongside considering the practicalities of introducing plastic-free areas in the park.
‘With the growing need for clear and transparent environmental information, CGG’s innovative microplastic analysis technique provides detailed microplastic pollution information,’ said CGG executive vice president for geoscience, Peter Whiting.
‘Through continued investment in technology, CGG is developing advanced workflows to generate data that is key to addressing global environmental challenges such as plastic pollution.
‘This technique complements our other plastic pollution monitoring initiatives, such as our ongoing European Space Agency project to monitor plastic pollution from space,’ he concluded.
The survey — conducted by the French geophysical services company CGG — found that plastics accumulated where people tend to congregate on Mount Snowdon