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Understanding allochthonous marine litter in a Protected Area in the Amazon Coast
Summary
Researchers found nearly 400 pieces of trash from 36 different countries washing up on a protected Amazon beach, with most of it coming from ships passing through the region rather than sitting there for years. This matters because it shows ocean plastic pollution is a global problem crossing borders freely, trash from one country's ships ends up polluting another nation's protected coastlines, and as this debris breaks down, it can become microplastics that enter the food chain and, eventually, our bodies through seafood.
Studies on international waste on the Amazon coast are lacking, leaving a substantial knowledge gap concerning the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental repercussion of this issue. In this context, the objective of this study is to comprehensively characterize and trace the origins of allochthonous litter discovered on a beach situated within a Protected Area. Given this, the hypothesis of this study is that the international litters comes from vessels operating in the region. A total of 384 containers were collected, originating from 36 countries, with those located in Asia and Africa showing the highest prevalence. Among the bottles with identified expiration dates, 76 % are newly arrived, confirming our hypothesis. The presence of older waste may result from a combination of the absence of beach cleaning public services and local dynamic processes. While international engagement is necessary, local communities, along with the scientific community, have taken proactive measures to address the problem.