\u00a9 shutterstock\/SIVStockStudio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUsing an instrument that uses infrared light to fingerprint and identify the material, they found that the six most common plastics were polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene, polyester\/polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide.<\/p>\n
Collecting this information can contribute to Arienzo\u2019s ongoing microplastic research in the region, helping to identify where these small plastic fragments come from.<\/p>\n
Davidson explained: \u201cWhen we study microplastics, we only have the chemical information or the plastic type. We don\u2019t know where it came from because it\u2019s just a tiny piece of plastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now we can use this litter data to point to the dominant types of plastics and compare them to microplastic data.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study can help inform efforts by Tahoe-area communities to address plastic litter, such as South Lake Tahoe\u2019s 2022 ban on single-use plastic bottles and Truckee\u2019s ban on single-use food containers.<\/p>\n
The research also highlights ways scientists can work with nonprofits to collect data to address local environmental concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scientists have teamed up with the nonprofit Clean Up the Lake to collect and analyse plastic litter found at the bottom of Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":41433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433],"tags":[24555,3365],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Lake Tahoe dive survey highlights plastic litter problem<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n