Central American beaches are exceeded by local and foreign plastic

A copy of the study shows how plastic bottles reach the Pacific Coast in Latin America.

Clarification: Garcés-Ordóñez And others. (2025) (CC by 4.0)

Scientists have found that, like the other sea debris, the bottles and hats that they sometimes prepared were colonized by non -moving organisms called epibionts, which live on the surface of other organisms or materials. The team found elements with Bryozoans, barnacles and attached mollusks, with this associated with the plastic era. Players and hats also showed typical deterioration patterns of marine exposure – melting, corrosion, and fragmentation.

However, despite these transformations, plastic waste often maintains the properties of identification, such as product symbols, commercial names, manufacturing sites, and dates. This data helped track their source, even when bottles were damaged or colonized extensively by living organisms, providing valuable information about their origin and transportation paths.

For Garcés, one of the most disturbing conclusions in his studies is the situation in islands like Galapagos and Rapa Nui, protected natural areas. As he explains, the Epibionts associated with plastic bottles is washed on its beaches, “and this is a serious threat, because we do not know the types of living organisms that arrive or where it comes. It can be gas.”

The work was not possible without the cooperation of up to 200 local leaders of 74 social organizations, in addition to 1,000 volunteers who were part of this citizen science initiative. Their systematic approach to the research team was not only allowed to understand the properties of plastic waste that affects the Pacific Ocean in Latin America, but also to understand the preferences of regional drinks and consumption trends in different countries.

Suggestions to resolve this crisis

Given the extensive existence of the disposable plastic bottles, especially the local origin, one of the main recommendations of the researchers is to replace them with uniform return bottles throughout the region – “as we used to do it,” says Garcis. “When you are a child, the products have been sold in returnable bottles. This will be one of the main measures that we suggest to reduce the production of plastic materials from the source.”

He says that this procedure must be completed by recovery policies and corporate social responsibility initiatives by the concerned drink companies. The authors say that the demand for packaging and reusable accountability of the large products of bottled beverages are basic strategies to reduce plastic pollution and protect coastal ecosystems. “In the end, companies have their own interests and are looking for the cheapest alternatives to producing the bottle. For this reason, the participating governments have to.” However, he says that improving waste management, especially in coastal societies, is another major issue that must be addressed.

Researchers also highlight the main role of human behavior in reducing plastic pollution. “With our growth with the population, consumption increases,” Garsis says. When drinking water is only available in a single -use plastic bottles, consumers do not have any alternatives, “reduce their ability to act sustainable”.

This story was originally appeared on Wireless En español It was translated from Spanish.