Abstract

The accumulation of anthropogenic debris (AD) in the Great Lakes is a growing issue with largely unknown consequences for ecological and human health. To better constrain estimates of debris loading into Lake Ontario and elucidate the fate of AD accumulating upstream, an incubation experiment of the most commonly identified littered products was conducted in different stormwater infrastructure within the Lake Ontario Watershed. Chip bags, cigarette filters, and shopping bags were placed into storm drains, stormwater retention ponds, and along riparian zones of tributaries in December of 2022 and July of 2023 to test the spatial (type of stormwater infrastructure [SWI]) and temporal (season) impacts of AD entry into the environment. All Winter-deployed materials were aged for one, four, and 12 months; all Summer-deployed samples were aged for one month, with an additional set of cigarette filters collected after four months. Changes in material properties were evaluated using mass loss analysis for cigarette filters, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for chip and shopping bags, and optical microscopy, and tensile testing for all materials. Microbial community structure was assessed using 16S amplicon sequencing. Degradation varied by material, as cigarette filters rapidly degraded, especially during the summer deployment. Increased surface oxidation and changes to mechanical properties of shopping bags indicated degradation that varied across deployment times. Chip bags were resistant to degradation with no oxidation occurring, and differences in the mechanical properties between deployment seasons varied by SWI. Changes to the microbial community were driven by seasonal differences. Summer-deployed samples had site-specific communities. Changes to community structure over time were dependent on SWI. Identified microbial communities aligned with literature findings of bacteria associated with environmental plastics and some classes were known to degrade plastics.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Runoff--Great Lakes Region (North America)--Management; Water--Pollution--Great Lakes Region (North America); Biodegradation

Publication Date

8-11-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Environmental Science (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences

College

College of Science

Advisor

Christy Tyler

Advisor/Committee Member

Nathan Eddingsaas

Advisor/Committee Member

Steven W. Day

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ENVS-MS

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