Scientists have found that, like other marine debris, the bottles and hats they retrieved were sometimes colonized by fixed biological colonies called Epibionts, which live on the surface of other organisms or materials. The team found items attached to moss, barnacles and mollusks that were associated with the age of the plastic. Bottles and hats also exhibit more typical marine exposure patterns – degradation patterns of shedding, wear and fragmentation.
But despite these conversions, plastic waste often retains key identification characteristics such as product code, brand name, manufacturing location and date. The data also helps track their origins, even if the bottles are damaged by organisms or colonized in large quantities, providing valuable information about their origins and routes of transport.
For Garcés, one of the most worrying conclusions in his study is that the situation of islands such as Galapagos and Rapa Nui is a protected natural area. As he explained, performers attached to plastic bottles were washing on the beach, “This represents a serious threat because we don’t know which creatures are reaching or coming from. And they can be invasive.”
This work would have been impossible without the collaboration of 200 local leaders from 74 social organizations and 1,000 volunteers as part of this citizen science initiative. Their methodological approach not only allows the research team to better understand the characteristics of plastic waste that affects the Latin American Pacific, but also the regional beverage preferences and consumption trends in different countries.
Proposal to resolve this crisis
Given the widespread presence of single-use plastic bottles (mainly local origins) in general, the researchers’ main suggestion is to replace them with standard return bottles throughout the region, just like we used to be,” Garcés said. “When I was a kid, the products were sold in returnable glass bottles. This will be one of the main measures we propose to reduce the production of plastics. ”
He said the measure should be complemented by the beverage company’s refund policy and corporate social responsibility plan. Repeatable packaging and accountability of large numbers of bottled beverage producers is an important strategy to reduce plastic pollution and protect coastal ecosystems, the authors say. “Ultimately, companies have their own interests and look for the cheapest bottled alternatives. That’s why the government has to be involved,” Garcés said. But, he said, improving waste management, especially in coastal communities, is another key issue that needs to be addressed.
The researchers also highlighted the central role of human behavior in reducing plastic pollution. “As our population grows, consumption will increase. As long as the basic needs of the coastal population of drinking water are not met, it will continue to increase, increasingly polluting more and more coastal environments.” When drinking water only has disposable plastic bottles available, consumers have no other choice, “limiting their ability to move sustainably”.
This story originally appeared in wired español and has been translated into Spanish.
