During the summer season, many people go to the beaches to spend a whole day enjoying the sea and of the sun However, some of the visitors bring food and leave their waste buried in the sand without imagining the damage it can cause, since part of the garbage ends up in the sea and in the stomachs of marine species. Also, the appearance of larvae in the sand is due to the decomposition of organic debris.
Jimmy Jara, professor of the Environmental Engineering course at the UPC, explains to us about the harmful consequences of leaving rubbish on the beaches and gives us some tips to take care of them.
Why should diapers and other waste not be left on the beaches?
Solid waste, such as diapers, cannot be recycled or reused. Disposable diapers are made of cellulose, polyester and/or sodium polyacrylate, a highly absorbent polymer but are not degradable, they contain plastics that, even if they break down, are present in the environment for years, occupying space in the natural environment and on many occasions. , in the stomachs of marine fauna.
Likewise, plastic waste ends up in the sea and it is not usually biodegradable. According to the international NGO 5 Gyres, it revealed that there are 270 thousand tons of plastic that exist in the oceans around the world.
Studies confirm that there are five large “plastic islands” located in the North and South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. One third of the plastics sinks contaminating the bottom of the sea. It is not hard to believe that in some regions of the central Pacific there is now six times more plastic than the plankton on which species feed.
It is important to take care of the beaches to have a healthy space for everyone. Photo: Pexels.
What happens when they leave the garbage buried in the sand?
Burying garbage in the sand does not reduce the impact of solid waste on the environment, since the tide, which grows with the hours, discovers this waste and it ends up in the sea, causing pollution.
A few years ago larvae appeared on the beaches of Lima. Is this due to some type of contamination?
The appearance of larvae arises from contamination by organic waste, that is, food remains, which, when exposed to the elements and as the days go by, degrade and insects such as flies deposit their eggs on them, which generate the larvae.
The plastic takes time to disintegrate and these end up in the stomachs of marine fauna. Photo: Pexels.
How should we take care of the beaches?
The care of the beaches must be based on environmental education, that is, educate people to avoid contaminating the beaches, this includes: minimizing the use of disposable products such as plastic bottles where the water is carried, instead it should be use reusable containers to transport water, and with respect to the consumption of products that are bought on the beaches, take a cloth bag with you to accumulate waste and deposit it in the corresponding bins that the beaches usually have.
Likewise, one way to educate the person is through participation in beach cleaning campaigns, since this activity sensitizes the population.
If we take food to the beach, let’s not forget the bags to collect the waste and leave it in a garbage can. Photo: Pexels.
Video: How to take care of the beaches
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