Presence of plastic granules (Pellets) in the sediment of beach located in the Central Coast of São Paulo State (Guaiuba, Guarujá) Larissa Tais Traldi Wintruff, Juan Martins Martins de Campos e Silva, Helen Sadauskas-Henrique

Abstract

Plastic granules are mainly shipped, used as raw materials for the manufacture of all types of plastics. When they arrive at ports, handling containers can accidentally spill these pellets into the marine environment. Due to its buoyancy this material reaches the coast and accumulates in the sediment. This paper aimed to quantify the plastic granules in a beach of the coast of São Paulo state (Guaiuba, Guarujá). A total of three collections were made, two in the upper part of the beach and one in the tidal zone. A total of 166.68 pellets per m³ were collected, with a significant difference of the southeast portion in relation to the other portions. Different colors are found due to photodegradation of the exposed plastic. The tendency of accumulation of this material occurs in the southeastern ends of the beach due to the coastal drift found by other authors.