A survey conducted at the end of last year confirmed key data about coastal waste in the province of Buenos Aires. The Provincial Census of Coastal Marine Waste, organized by the Buenos Aires Coastal Network (RECOBO), revealed that almost 75% of the waste is plastic.
More than 49,000 waste items were surveyed in twenty tourist locations in the region.
It took place during September and October of 2024 and covered a total of 297,636 square meters of beaches, equivalent to almost 30 hectares.
Coastal waste census: alarming plastic details
The RECOBO network is composed of different organizations from the main coastal cities and tourist spots in the Province of Buenos Aires, in coordination with 426 volunteers.
Plastics on the coast of Buenos Aires. (Photo: Mundo Marino Foundation).
This seventh edition had the collaboration of 45 third sector and governmental organizations.
The collected results recorded a total of 49,913 surveyed waste items, of which 74.05% were plastic.
This is a number almost identical to the previous census data. In 2023, the initiative could not be carried out due to the outbreak of avian flu that had affected various marine species.
The contaminants
Within the “plastics” category, the most common contaminant was packaging: representing 14.17% of the total. These single-use materials like cellophane or nylon, designed to protect or contain products for a brief period, are quickly discarded and often end up in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
After plastic packaging, the most common contaminants found were:
- Cigarette butts (13.34%),
- Plastic fragments (11.87%),
- Plastic bags (8.38%),
- Glass fragments (7.55%).
It is in this context that the Coastal Marine Waste Censuses record the situation on Buenos Aires beaches, by identifying the type and quantity of waste affecting the coasts, to seek collective solutions at the local and national levels.
The purpose of the census
The damages of plastic pollution.
“Knowing the composition of marine waste allows us to identify how to improve our consumption habits, assess particular realities, and establish what kind of regulations are necessary to stop and reverse plastic pollution,” explained the Mundo Marino Foundation.
“96% of the green sea turtles that enter our rescue center alive have various types of plastic waste in their digestive system,” they detailed.
“Unfortunately, they confuse their food with poorly managed contaminants of anthropic origin,” they added.
“While plastics reaching the sea can have different sources, it is important, especially in this summer season, that we are very responsible with the waste we generate on the beaches,” emphasized Karina Álvarez, Responsible for Conservation at Mundo Marino Foundation.
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