Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development

en High Microplastics Contamination Around the Pakusari Landfill, Jember, Indonesia: A Profiling and Pollutant Load Index Analysis Environmental pollution Original articles <div style="text-align: justify;">Introduction: Microplastics in landfills pose significant environmental and public health risks owing to their persistence, role as disease vectors, and potential for bioaccumulation. This study aimed to characterize the abundance, distribution, and pollution levels of microplastics in Pakusari landfill, Jember, Indonesia, across leachate, soil, groundwater monitoring well, and manually dug well samples. Material and Methods: Samples, collected with contamination controls, underwent digestion with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), followed by microplastic analysis (Leica) for quantification (count, size, color, and type) and polymer identification via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results: This study found an average abundance of 358 particles, with dominating by fiber. Polyethylenimine (PEI) was consistently detected, and the prevalent size range was 0.12 ± 4.22 mm. The calculated Pollutant Load Index (PLI) averaged 3.67 across all samples, indicating Class IV (high) pollution levels. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate severe microplastic contamination at the site, necessitating urgent mitigation strategies and improved waste management practices to prevent further environmental degradation and transform waste.</div> Microplastics, Landfills, Water Pollution, Soil Pollution, Indonesia. 3166 3182 http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-597-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Khoiron Khoiron khoiron@unej.ac.id 0000-0002-7159-7997 Yes Department of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of Jember, Kalimantan Street No. 37, Tegalboto Jember, 68121, Indonesia Siti Khoiriyah siti.khoiriyah12@staff.uns.ac.id 0000-0003-3477-1826 No Department of Environmental Science, Post Graduate School, Sebelas Maret University, Ir. Sutami No.36 A, Jebres, Surakarta, Indonesia Rahayu Sri Pujiati rahayu.pujiati@unej.ac.id 0000-0002-3504-9926 No Department of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of Jember, Kalimantan Street No. 37, Tegalboto Jember, 68121, Indonesia Fariz Kustiawan Alfarisy farizalfarisy@unesa.ac.id 0000-0001-9345-7672 No Graduate School, State University of Surabaya, Lidah Wetan Street, Surabaya, 60213, Indonesia Farchan Mushaf Al Ramadhani farchan.mushaf@gmail.com 0000-0002-1013-3427 No Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Pekalongan, Sriwijaya Street No. 3, Pekalongan City, 51111, Indonesia Jheng-Jie Jiang jjjiang@cycu.edu.tw 0000-0002-2887-723X No Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City 320314, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Muhammad Addin Rizaldi muhammad.rizaldi@unsoed.ac.id 0000-0003-4280-5176 No Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Banyumas, Indonesia Khaidar Ali khaidar.ali@unsoed.ac.id 0000-0001-8857-3003 No Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Banyumas, Indonesia