Ecological Systems and Devices Annotation << Back Plastic Pollution of the Shoreline in Southeastern Coast of the Lake Baikal and the Selenga River Estuary Il’ina O.V., Ilinskiy V.V., Polyakova M.S., Poyarkov A.A. Lake Baikal, being the world's largest freshwater reserve and a habitat for many endemic species, is exposed to constant contamination by anthropogenic waste, including plastic litter. This study is the fi rst both to evaluate the abundance, distribution, and composition of coastal plastic pollution in the Lake Baikal and to discuss the approaches for removing and recycling plastic waste from coastal zone of the Baikal natural territory. The shoreline over a total length of 1 934 m was studied, 2307 items of plastic litter were collected and categorized. The surveyed stations near settlements where clean-up operations are regularly carried out, showed the coastal plastic pollution abundance 2,5–13 times lower than similar sites where no efforts to reduce litter on beaches were previously carried out. At least 90 % of the collected waste was classifi ed as actually not recyclable and was sent to the municipal solid waste landfi lling. Implementing the approaches of circular economy seems inspiring but have objective restrictions in the Siberian region due to the high logistical distance from large industrial centers. The data obtained indicate the need to fi nd solutions for environmentally friendly disposal of non-recyclable waste on localities, along with stopping their entry into water bodies and streams. Keywords: Lake Baikal, plastic pollution, macroplastics, plastic waste recycling Pp. 24-33.