With panoramic landscapes and not very visited by swimmers, Praia do Secgredo, in Natal, received many packaging of products manufactured in Asia. What is the explanation?
Spread by Parque Das Dunas, in Natal (RN), Praia do Secgredo attracts attention to her wild beauty.
But looking at more closely, he proves to be another less attractive secret: his sands have become a “cemetery” of Asian waste.
In a walk of a few minutes on the other side of the December beach, the BBC News Brazil report found dozens of packaging of products manufactured in countries such as China, Indonesia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and South Korea.
The most common articles were non -alcoholic drinks, cleaning products and engine oil containers.
Almost all the packaging were plastic, but there were also a little tin, like a removal of the paint.
Most of the items have been produced in recent years and had an almost intact packaging.
Flute from enormous dunes, Praia do secret is in a central Christmas, but it is less frequented than other more urbanized beaches in the capital of Pormuardo, such as Ponta Negra.
In some extracts, he recalls a deserted beach. In the twilight of a Tuesday, the bright color packaging was distinguished on the beach in the middle of the light sand and on the vegetation of rest.
There were not only Asian articles among packaging: products have also been found manufactured in Brazil, the United States and African countries.
But among the packaging in a better state – and this allowed the identification of its origin – those of Asian products were the majority, with free time.
What is the explanation?
In July 2024, a study by the Verocel Pulp Company also pointed out a large amount of foreign waste on the beaches in the municipality of Belmonte, in the south of Bahia.
At the time, 140 kg of plastic waste from the sands were removed in five weeks.
“Waste analysis revealed a predominance of plastic bottles from Asia,” underlines the study.
But how are the products manufactured in countries around the world ended up on Brazilian beaches?
For Alexander Turra, professor at the University of San Paolo Oceanographic Institute (USP) and a marine pollution specialist, the most probable hypothesis is the disposal of ships.
According to the World Bank, maritime transport represents about 90% of global trade and Asia hosts 20 of the 30 busiest ports in the world.
The traffic of the ship between Brazil and Asia is intense: Brazil acquires many industrialized products from Asian countries and sells a large amount of raw materials.
“These ships bring people and these people consume products that are often thrown into the sea,” says Turra.
“And here comes everything that was on the ship and was purchased at the port of origin, which can be in Singapore, Vietnam, China … wherever she is.”
The garbage is often discarded near the ports where the ships dock and reaches the beaches taken from marine currents, says the researcher.
Second Turra, the disposal of the garbage by foreign ships affects much of the Brazilian coast, but is more visible on remote beaches that are not clean frequently.
The municipalities of the port regions are also more vulnerable: this is the case of Natal, which hosts one of the main ports of the north -est.
Undise problems at sea
Alexander Turra says that garbage generates a series of impacts on beaches and marine life.
“One of these is in tourism: who wants to visit a beach full of garbage?”
Policy also threatens the animals that remain blocked in the package or swallows them.
“And with this he has the opportunity to die asphyxiate or to have a false sense of satiety, to define over time,” says the researcher.
“Not to mention the damage to navigation, because these products damage engines, propellers and cooling systems.”
The degradation of plastic waste in small particles (microplastics) also creates risks to human health, since fish that ingest these particles can be consumed by man.
What is the solution?
TURRRA states that since 1972 international resolutions prohibit the disposal of non -organic waste in the sea (the disposal of organic waste is allowed under certain conditions).
However, according to him, many ships violate the rules and for different reasons.
The first, says the researcher, is that many ships do not yet separate organic waste from plastic waste, discarding all the waste in the sea to avoid bad smell.
The second is that, to collect the garbage of ships, the doors charge a commission that varies according to the amount of the material collected.
Many ships choose to throw rubbish into the sea to save on the payment of these rates, according to the researcher.
The solution, Turra says, would be to charge a fixed commission that did not depend on the junk amount.
Another measure would be to supervise and thin ships that do not separate non -organic organic waste.
What are the responsible bodies?
Contacted by the BBC, the Association of Asian shipowners (ASA) said it had considered the disposal of “highly deplorable” waste on the Brazilian coast and promote “navigation practices responsible for the environment”.
The wing states that it represents 52% of the world of merchant ships in the world.
“Our members manage their ships rigorously in accordance with the regulations on the eviction of international waste,” said the organization.
The wing said, however, that the Asian products found on Brazilian beaches were not necessarily discarded by Asian ships, since the ships of all continents can land and provide in the ports of Asia.
“Although there are some irregular operators of ships in the world, ASA prevails for laws and regulations,” said the agency.
And in Brazil?
In Brazil, the mission of fighting pollution on beaches and coastal waters is up to several government agencies.
The body responsible for defining ports and port rates in ports is the National Water Water Transport Agency (Antaq), while the regulation of the port sector is responsible for the Ministry of Ports and Airports.
Antaq did not answer the BBC questions. The Ministry has already said that Brazilian ports follow “best global practices” on waste management.
When asked about the proposal to establish a fixed rate for the disposal of ships, the ministry said that the current standards on rates follow “technical and economic criteria”, but maintains “dialogue with sector agents to identify the opportunities for improvement to interior of the existing regulatory framework “.
The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) is the federal agency responsible for environmental protection on beaches and coastal areas.
Ibama did not respond to the BBC if it adopts measures against the disposal of the garbage by the ships, but said that “the competence to perform the cleaning of routines of the beaches is municipal”.
“Considering that Natal is a tourist city and well structured administratively, this maintenance must be performed with the necessary frequency,” said the agency.
BBC News Brazil has therefore questioned the secretariat of the Christmas environment on the frequency with which the secrets are clean and if there are other initiatives to combat foreign waste on the beaches of the Municipality.
But the agency did not answer and suggested that the questions were asked to Urbana, the company responsible for public cleaning the Municipality, who did not comment.
The Navy, which has the attribution of the supervision of ships in Brazilian waters, said that “supervise our seas and rivers uninterruptedly and, when it becomes aware of environmental infringements, promotes the establishment of environmental administrative procedures, in order to punish those crime”.
According to the Navy, the legal changes in the early 2000s have expanded punishments for ships that discharge the sea, “with fines that can reach up to $ 50 million”.
Federal coordination
For the professor of Maritime Law Ingrid Zanella, of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Ibama and the Navy have a duty to coordinate the fight against marine pollution, articulating with common and state -state bodies.
“The answer must be joined, each within its attributions, but it is up to the organs of the Union to expand the inspection and punishment to the transgressors,” says Zanella.
The teacher states that marine pollution is now treated as a priority by global environmental agencies, but that Brazil does not yet give the theme due importance.
However, it recognizes that it is complex to fight illegal disposal on the Brazilian coast.
“We have a huge coast and difficulty identifying which ships are being discarded, but we must look for new technologies to try to trace this garbage,” he says.
Source: Terra
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