Abstract <p>Mismanaged solid waste pollution has emerged as one of the pressing threats to biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide. At the land–ocean interface, beach sand dune vegetation is more likely to be exposed to anthropogenic litter from both inland and marine origins. Based on an extensive field survey, we evaluated the potential for litter entrapment by beach dunal vegetation on the west coast of India, including litter concentration, spatial distribution, composition, and probable sources<i>.</i> The study reveals that mismanaged plastic dominates the trapped litter, regardless of the urbanization gradient and beach use. Fragmented macroplastics, foamed plastic, fishing rope fragments, food wrappers, plastic cups, and plastic bags were the most prevalent. Source analysis indicated that the majority of the trapped litter originated from land-based activities, with a smaller contribution from fisheries. Analysis of beach quality indices revealed the high severity of the litter accumulation at all studied sites. Our findings underscore the critical role of dune vegetation as a natural trap for macroplastic litter and highlights the necessity of incorporating coastal dune habitats into regional litter management programs. Future research should focus on integrating low-impact cleanup strategies and long-term monitoring frameworks to mitigate plastic accumulation while conserving fragile beach dune ecosystems.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>