Urban Plastic Dependency: Quantifying Retail-Driven Plastic Bag Consumption and Environmental Risk in Coastal Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63359/ymd0vh14Keywords:
plastic bags, pollution, waste management, sustainability, Zliten, LibyaAbstract
The accelerating reliance on single-use plastics has emerged as a defining environmental challenge of urban systems, yet city-scale quantitative evidence from developing regions remains critically limited. This study provides the first empirical assessment of plastic bag consumption and its environmental implications in Zliten, Libya. Data from 242 retail stores revealed an annual consumption of 41.8 million plastic bags, with an associated cost of approximately 2.08 million LYD. Consumption differed significantly across store size categories (p < 0.001), with large retail outlets contributing disproportionately to total usage. A strong positive correlation between bag consumption and cost (r = 0.722, p < 0.01) indicates a direct scaling between environmental burden and economic expenditure.
Spatial patterns showed that consumption is concentrated in commercially dense areas, reflecting the structural influence of urban systems on material use. These consumption levels are likely to intensify microplastic accumulation, drainage blockage, and coastal pollution risks.
Without targeted and system-level interventions, plastic dependency in rapidly urbanizing contexts is likely to escalate, amplifying both environmental degradation and economic costs.
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