INITIAL research has been carried out to see if a plastic free zone can be created on Snowdon.

CGG, a global geoscience technology leader, successfully conducted a microplastics pollution survey as part of a scoping study.

Variable amounts of microplastic pollution were identified in all the soil samples collected along the busy Llanberis Path to the summit of Snowdon in April 2021 and analysed by CGG at its Geoscience Laboratories in North Wales for microplastic quantification and identification.

On Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) the largest amounts of microplastic were found to be where people congregate in large numbers.

Microplastic particles constituted nearly five per cent of the total sample collected at the summit. These were predominantly small, highly-abraded particles formed from the fragmentation of larger plastic material and fibers shed from clothing.

This CGG environmental database dashboard display shows the results from the microplastic survey along the Llanberis Path to the summit of Snowdon, North Wales. Top left - Map chart displaying Microplastic Pollution Index ratings of sites related to

This CGG environmental database dashboard display (above) shows the results from the microplastic survey along the Llanberis Path to the summit of Snowdon, North Wales. Top left - Map chart displaying Microplastic Pollution Index ratings of sites related to percentage volume plastic content of samples.  This highlights pollution ‘hotpots’ with high microplastic concentrations. Bottom - The bar chart displays the recorded values of plastic content within samples. Microplastic accounts for around 5 per cent of the total volume in samples with the highest plastic content. Top right - Sample image displays a QEMSCAN® mineral map in which the size, shape and distribution of microplastic fragments fragments from the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is highlighted in pink (image courtesy of CGG).QEMSCAN® is a registered trademark of FEI Company

John Harold, director of Snowdonia Society and Chair of Partneriaeth Yr Wyddfa said: “These results are a stark reminder of how persistent plastic is when it gets into the environment. A huge amount of litter is cleared by staff and volunteers, but by no means all gets picked up. 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,”.

Peter Whiting, EVP, Geoscience, CGG, said: “With the growing need for clear and transparent environmental information, CGG’s innovative microplastic analysis technique provides detailed microplastic pollution information for a range of stakeholders.

"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. It also strengthens CGG’s portfolio of advanced environmental monitoring solutions.”

Partneriaeth Yr Wyddfa (the Snowdon Partnership) led by the Snowdonia National Park Authority aims to increase public awareness of plastic pollution on the UK’s most visited mountain and consider the practicalities of introducing Plastic Free Areas in the National Park.

A new, innovative sample preparation and analysis workflow was used for rapid, mass sample screening.

This workflow was used to calculate the volume, size and shape of plastic particles within a sample.