Research about plastic pollution on the beaches in the Aracaju city, SE, Brazil

Abstract

The growth in global plastic production has led to an increase in this waste on beaches as a result of inadequate disposal. This study evaluated plastic waste collected on six beaches (Artistas, Atalaia, Cinelândia, Robalo, Refúgio and Viral) located in the city of Aracaju, state of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil. Two collections were carried out on each beach between october 2023 and April 2024, on the sand strip (SS) and vegetation strip (VS). The collection area was delimited at 2,000m² from the high tide limit towards the coast, for FA and from the beginning of vegetation in the same direction, for FV. A total of 2,823 items were collected, equivalent to 22,298g distributed in the FA and FV. The mass quantity (12,544g) was higher in FV. There was no difference between the quantities of items found between FA and FV. Viral beach had the highest mass quantity (8,943g), while Cinelândia had the lowest (1,147g). Regarding items, the largest quantities were found in Atalaia (590) and Refúgio (572) and the smallest in Cinelândia (299), predominantly fragments, packaging and cups. The classification revealed that polystyrene - PS (23.7%) and high-density polyethylene – HDPE (20.6%) were the most prevalent. The results demonstrate the need for public policies that specifically address the issue, such as educational campaigns on the conscious use of plastics and their proper disposal.