THE PLASTIC PLAGUE

Beachgoers spread the plastic plague that pollutes our beaches and oceans. 

Every sunny day, beachgoers leave tons of plastic waste and garbage on Brazil’s beaches, much of which is swept into the ocean by the incoming tide and waves.

Despite warnings about the dire consequences of man-made pollution, it seems that the penny has not dropped, and people continue to contribute to the burgeoning threat to the environment and human health. 

This is part of the trash collected by me on 27/04/2025 along the water’s edge of just 1/3 of Ipanema beach. It shows a predominance of clear plastic and polystyrene and is typical of what beachgoers just discard on the sand. Uncollected, all of this would have been swept into the sea by the incoming tide. In the ocean, polystyrene food containers break down into micro particles and end up in the marine food chain, being absorbed by fish and thus ultimately by humans.

See the April 8th, 2025, Press Release by OCEANA: “Toxic Takeout? Your Food Containers Could Be Putting Your Health at Risk”.  https://usa.oceana.org/press-releases/toxic-takeout-your-foam-food-containers-could-be-putting-your-health-at-risk/

Oceana released a new report, “Plastic Foam Needs ‘To Go,'” revealing the dangers behind single-use plastic foam products like clamshell takeout food containers, cups, packing peanuts, and disposable coolers. According to the report, plastic foam, which is also called expanded polystyrene, compromises our health and our oceans. 

Plastic foam is made with hazardous chemicals, like its main building block styrene, which is toxic to the human nervous system. Styrene is linked to cancer and considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Styrene and other chemicals can easily leach into food and beverages at all temperatures, but hotter temperatures heighten the risk. 

Food and drinks containing high levels of fat also increase the leaching of styrene and other chemicals. This raises the question: are foam takeout containers and cups risking our health? The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that parents avoid giving their children plastic products made of polystyrene, which includes plastic foam. Adding to the concern, tiny pieces of polystyrene microplastic have been found in our bodies, including the brain, blood, lungs, kidneys, and reproductive systems. 

 LOCAL BEACHGOERS AND TOURISTS CONTINUE TO TRASH IPANEMA BEACH

NOTHING HAS CHANGED. MANY PEOPLE SHOW NO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS, EVEN DESPITE THE CLIMATE CRISIS CAUSED BY MAN'S IGNORANCE.  

I started plogging along the water's edge on Ipanema Beach in 2010 and in the 14 years of collecting plastic trash, beer bottles, dirty nappies, sanitary towels, take-away food boxes, biscuit wrappers, plastic bags and assorted garbage since then, I have seen little or no improvement in beachgoers' behaviour and environmental consciousness. In fact, the trashing of Ipanmea beach has just got worse.  

On 19/01/2025, the beach was jam-packed with people and there were volumes of trash on the sand between their beach chairs, next to the water's edge. Most of this trash would have been left there and swept into the ocean by the rising tide and waves. These are the scenes that met my eyes. 

In fact, there was so much trash that it would have taken me 4 hours to collect the trash on  just ⅓ of Ipanema Beach. It was demoralising and I just managed to collect 2 plastic bags of trash along a 5-metre stretch. See the photo below.

Just in front of Arpoador Rocks, on another 5-metre stretch, I managed to collect this grey bag of trash. There was just too much trash to collect.  So, I went up on to the rocks and collected trash there instead. 

See this video filmed by Nicolas Mandri-Perrot, when he interviewed me about my plogging.

SEE THIS PHOTO PUBLISHED IN AN ARTICLE IN GLOBO BY  

ANNA BUSTAMANTE

 — Rio de Janeiro

06/01/2025 13h43

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 ARPOADOR ROCKS IN IPANEMA - BREEDING GROUND FOR THE DENGUE MOSQUITO

In the middle of a full-blown Dengue epidemic in Brazil, people continue to leave used plastic cups, beverage cans, plastic bags and takeaway food containers in the bushes, cacti and on the rocks at Arpoador.

 A favourite spot for people to gather and watch the sunset, Arpoador is a breeding ground for Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito that transmits Dengue. Rain water collecting in the plastic trash provides a perfect environment for the mosquito to leave its larvae.

Heedless of the consequences, people continue to carelessly leave their trash at Arpoador. Compare the photo taken in 2015 with that taken in  2024. What has changed? When will we ever learn?

The last photo is of the plastic trash and garbage that I collected on just a small part of Arpoador Rocks on 19/01/2025. The litter includes plastic cups, polystyrene food containers, beverage cans and biscuit wrappers. 

The large orange metal skip in the background is provided by the municipal garbage authority for litter collection but is not even half full. All people have to do is throw their trash in it to avoid creating a mosquito larvae breeding ground. The problem is laziness and ignorance. The solution is to dispose of your trash in the proper litter wheelie bins and skips.