Municipal services on tourist beaches:: Costs and benefits of solid waste collection

Tamandare, Pernambuco State, Brazil, has 9 kilometers of beaches that form three bays protected by coastal reefs. July 2001, these beaches were frequently covered by solid wastes, mainly plastics. Solid wastes carried by the Until wind and tides reached the native vegetation, where it remained imprisoned and accumulated in large amounts, making the beach aesthetically objectionable. The origin of the largest part of this solid waste was the local rivers. These rivers drain many municipalities but have their mouths next to Tamandare. Beach users and locals were equally responsible for the accumulated residue. From August 2001, the municipal administration started a beach cleaning service, aiming to minimize the negative aesthetic effects caused by the accumulation of solid wastes. Sampling of plastic items accumulated on the beach within four transects of 2500 square meters each was carried out for 4 months before the cleaning service began and resulted in a total of 9289 plastic items. The dry and rainy season accumulations were significantly different. After the start of the service, in the same sampling area, plastic items were 1712 in total. In this case, the seasons were no longer significantly different. There were aesthetic, sanitary, and environmental benefits from the cleaning services. However, those were just a palliative and inefficient to definitely solve the problem. Municipalities will have to implement solid waste collection at their municipal sources and provide adequate disposal to solve the problem at the beaches of Tamandare. Controlling the source of solid wastes from beach users through environmental education actions is also urgently needed.