Keywords
Sustainable Tourism
Solid Wastes
How to Cite
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive field study on plastic pollution along a tourist route in the Serra da Mantiqueira Range, an area characterized by intensive tourism and ecotourism activities. Through systematic field surveys, solid waste discarded along the Gomeral Touristic Circuit was identified and georeferenced, enabling both material-based classification and the mapping of critical zones of improper disposal. Plastic waste predominated in the analyzed road section, accounting for 44% of the total identified material, mainly in the form of food packaging and food transport-related items. Approximately 40% of the waste could not be classified due to its advanced state of degradation; however, field observations suggest that a substantial portion consisted of paper products, such as toilet paper, tissues, and napkins. Metals accounted for 8% of the identified waste and consisted almost exclusively of aluminum cans, particularly beer cans, indicating considerable recycling potential. Glass represented only 1% of the total waste and was primarily associated with bottles for beer and other alcoholic beverages. All multilayer carton packaging was exclusively related to beverage consumption, especially dairy products. A total of 668 plastic waste items were identified across the surveyed sections, corresponding to an abundance of 95.5 items per km. Bottles (32%) and packaging (29%) were the predominant categories. Packaging fragments, bags, and sacks accounted for 12% of the plastic waste, while bags and sacks alone represented 10%. Most discarded plastic bottles were associated with hydration products, mainly drinking/mineral water, isotonic beverages, and soft drinks, and were predominantly composed of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Packaging waste was mainly associated with peanut candy, cookies/biscuits, cereal bars, carbohydrate gels, savory snacks, banana candy, chocolate-coated wafers, and candies. Most of these packages were composed of polypropylene (PP), whereas a smaller proportion was made from other resins. Preliminary mitigation strategies proposed include the installation of waste bins at identified irregular disposal hotspots and the implementation of targeted environmental education initiatives.
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