More than 18.500 microplastics per square metre were detected on the banks of the Paraná River near Rosario. This situation is raising alarm and calls for immediate solutions.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most alarming environmental problems in recent years, as the increasing amount of waste generated by our current lifestyle forces us to reconsider our practices and look for sustainable solutions. Clara Mitchell, professor at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario and specialist in Environment and Sustainable Development, detailed the consequences of this type of pollution.

“The main cause or origin of plastic pollution, and therefore of the impacts that this has on biodiversity, which are many and important, is the production and consumption model that we have. We produce super durable materials such as plastic, which does not degrade, and we use it for a disposable product. So we continue to accumulate waste and we no longer know what else to do with it all,” Mitchell explained. 

The best solution that has been found so far for waste in general is landfills, which are nothing more than a garbage dump with some precautions. “Recycling of plastics is extremely limited, in fact, worldwide it is 10% even with the best technologies,” said the researcher and added: “Now, how do these materials end up in the river? In our case, but it is similar for all waterways, and even the oceans, it is through the wind and rain that drag them from places where there are usually many people who use them, such as cities.”

En parte junto al equipo del Centro Científico Tecnológico y Educativo Acuario del Río Paraná y  la Plataforma Ambiental de la UNR, Clara realizó varias investigaciones respecto al plástic