Litter impacts on cleanliness and environmental status of Atlantico department beaches, Colombian Caribbean coast

Abstract Along twenty-five beaches belonging to the Atlantico Department, Colombia Caribbean coast, the litter impacts over cleanliness and environmental status were determined. A total of 5993 litter items, divided into 13 categories, were found with an average litter abundance of 3.5 items/m. Plastic and polystyrene dominated the samples with 58% (Avg: 1.97 items/m) and 30% (Avg: 1 items/m), while rubber, textile, paper, processed wood, metal, glass, biohazards, fishing gear, organic, mix, and other items reached 13%. Characteristics of these items in the study area allow recognition of three main litter sources: i) riverine related litter, ii) litter related to direct activities developed on beaches and iii) litter related to fishing. Litter amounts placed most of the beaches into the status of unacceptable conditions of cleanness, and in a mediocre to bad environmental status. In general terms, beaches along the study area can be divided into two specific groups. Eight beaches compose a group of sites in optimal environmental conditions (village and resort), while a second group includes 17 beaches with bad environmental conditions (urban, resort and remote). Urgent efforts are necessary to improve and conserve beaches of the Atlantico Department, and the typology of solutions sugguested can be divided into four general approaches: Prevention, Mitigation, Removal and Behavior Change. Better environmental quality can be reached if the people in the Atlantico Department coastline as well as all of Colombia shift mindsets and behavior towards producing less waste and improving anti-littering practices.