Concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and physichochemical data on wastewater samples collected from six sites across England and Wales between March and July 2020. Also included are the number of COVID-19 positive tests and COVID-19 related deaths for the same period collated from publicly available records. COVID-19 data relate to the lower tier local authority that the wastewater treatment plant was located within. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/ce40e62a-21ae-45b9-ba5b-031639a504f7

This dataset contains information relating to the survival and persistence of Salmonella spp. on plastic and glass, under conditions simulant of environmental UV exposure. The data encompass bacterial strain identity, material type, timepoints (days), temperature (°C), bacterial concentration (CFU/ml), survival percentages, and regression parameters. Data were sampled over a 21-day period using culture-based approaches; and the ability of isolates to cause disease following their recovery was determined through the use of a Galleria mellonella model. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, “Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the ‘Plastisphere’” [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/57ef148f-8cfb-4ba6-b673-114b22b21613

This dataset contains information relating to the survival and persistence of clinically relevant strains of E. coli on plastic and cotton, under environmentally relevant conditions. The data encompass bacterial strain identity, material type, timepoints (days), bacterial concentration (CFU/ml) and survival percentages. Data were sampled over a 28-day period using culture-based approaches; and the ability of isolates to cause disease following their recovery was determined through the use of a Galleria mellonella model. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, “Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the ‘Plastisphere’” [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/268cab8c-459c-4bf8-9b90-838c4d18efb2

This dataset holds realistic environmental concentrations of potential pathogens colonising microplastic beads (nurdles) collected from ten Scottish beaches. Observed measures include concentrations and the present genes of Klebsiella bacteria isolated from the nurdles, as well as the salinity, electrical conductivity, turbidity, and polymer composition of the nurdles. In addition, an infection experiment was conducted to measure the virulence of the Klebsiella bacteria. Galleria melonella larvae were infected with the isolated Klebsiella bacteria and the number of living larvae was recorded. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/fdd72810-a57f-444f-83cf-f2351ef4c940

This dataset contains information relating to the survival and persistence of Salmonella spp. on plastic and glass, under conditions simulant of a peri-urban waste pile. The data encompass bacterial strain identity, material type, timepoints (days), temperature (°C), bacterial concentration (CFU/ml), survival percentages, and regression parameters. Data were sampled over a 28-day period using culture-based approaches; and the ability of isolates to cause disease following their recovery was determined through the use of a Galleria mellonella model. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, “Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the ‘Plastisphere’” [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9c3a1ae5-65d7-45c6-b6f3-1a955b17abff

In this mesocosm study, three types of wet wipes (plastic containing, and home and commercially compostable) colonised with E. coli were buried in beach sand and their degradation, tensile strength, and concentration of E. coli was quantified over 15 weeks. Wipes were firstly passed through a series of treatments to simulate their journey from the bathroom to the beach. Water characteristics (pH, salinity) of these water types were measured. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/19a8083b-afa4-40b9-91bf-7a529eea870d