Análise dos impactos ambientais devido ao descarte inadequado de sacolas plásticas nos ecossistemas marinhos

Abstract

The disposal of plastic waste in seas and oceans, primarily originating from land-based sources, represents one of the greatest environmental challenges of the 21st century. Among these materials, plastic bags stand out, as their consumption has grown exponentially over the years, raising increasing concerns about marine pollution. The routine use of this product, although deeply rooted in society due to its versatility, has proven to be a hazardous practice: on one hand, the use of plastic bags is widespread because of their convenience; on the other, it directly impacts the environment, since the significant amount of such waste improperly discarded and the release of harmful chemical substances during decomposition directly threaten living organisms and ecosystems. This study is characterized as a bibliometric review, based on scientific articles, with the objective of highlighting the most critical consequences of transboundary pollution caused by plastic bags, as well as identifying alternatives to mitigate the effects of their improper disposal. For the development of the research, the databases Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were used as document sources, and the software VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) supported data analysis. As a result, the analyzed dataset consisted of 261 documents, of which 17 were selected for qualitative analysis. The findings revealed that ecological impacts in the marine environment occur at various levels, including ingestion by animals, leading to weakening, gastrointestinal blockage, and mortality, entanglement of organisms, and contribution to microplastic generation. It was also found that, although there is extensive scientific production focused on marine plastic pollution, few studies address exclusively the specific problems caused by plastic bags. Therefore, the adoption of sustainable measures is regarded as a crucial strategy in reducing plastic pollution, by proposing innovative and less impactful solutions, such as promoting responsible consumption, encouraging reuse, recycling, and the use of alternative raw materials.