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Municipal teams managed to collect around 90 tons of waste in a single day at Gravatá Beach, compared to approximately five tons under normal conditions. Meanwhile, logs, branches, plastics, and other materials continue to require machines and manual labor along the sandy shore.
Municipal teams managed to collect around 90 tons of waste in a single day at Gravatá Beach, compared to approximately five tons under normal conditions, while logs, branches, plastics, and other materials continue to require machines and manual labor along the sandy shore.
Gravatá Beach, located in Navegantes, in the North Coast region of Santa Catarina, has required a reinforced cleaning operation after heavy rains brought large amounts of branches, logs, leaves, and trash to the sandy shoreline. In some areas, the accumulation has made it difficult for residents and tourists to navigate near the water.
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This situation occurs in an area that has undergone beach widening to address erosion issues. Since August 15, however, the municipality has recorded a sharp increase in the amount of material arriving at the beach that needs to be removed by the teams.
In an interview with Balanço Geral of NDTV RECORD, reported by ND Mais, Mayor Ricardo Ventura stated that the removal reached about 90 tons in a single day.
Under normal conditions, about five tons are collected daily, according to the mayor. The ratio between the two figures is 18 times the usual volume, a difference compatible with the estimated reference of about 20 times used to gauge the increase during this period.
The composition of the material also impacts the operation. Larger logs and branches may require machines for removal, while smaller waste is collected manually by the workers on the beach.
With the continuous influx of debris, the service has intensified and now occurs even on Sundays. Even after a specific area has been cleaned, the movement of the sea can again bring waste to previously attended sections.
Heavy Rains Bring Branches, Logs, and Trash to the Shore
The explanation provided by the mayor links the accumulation to the intensified flow of the Itajaí-Açu River during heavy rainfall. The current can transport branches, logs, leaves, and other materials to the sea, from where some of it is carried by waves and currents back to the sandy area of Navegantes.
This movement helps explain why the amount of waste observed on the beach can vary from day to day. The removal efforts on land do not prevent new materials carried by the water from reappearing after the teams have passed.
Among the items found are not just remnants of vegetation. Plastic bottles, plastics, and even a sofa were located in the sand, mixed with logs, branches, and leaves washed ashore.
Ventura also noted that the municipality has to bear the costs of disposing of everything collected. Therefore, the work does not end with the removal of debris, as the removed material also needs proper handling after the cleaning.
The constant change in beach conditions is noticeable to those who observe the service. Resident Elias Nau, who watches the waste removal daily, reported that some of the material returns to the sandy area after it has been cleared.
“It doesn’t look pretty, but it’s Mother Nature returning the trash we put there, so there’s not much we can do,” Nau stated.
Beach Underwent Work to Restore the Sandy Shoreline
The accumulation comes after an intervention aimed at expanding Gravatá Beach, which was facing a loss of sand area due to coastal erosion. The beach nourishment project, also known as sand replenishment, adds sand to increase the width available along the shore.
The City Hall of Navegantes reported that the proposal for the project is just over R$ 31.5 million (about US$6 million), following a discount from the initially projected budget. The project encompasses approximately 2.3 kilometers of the shoreline.
The technical forecast released by the municipality suggested that, after the settling of the material used in the intervention, the beach would maintain about 70 meters of sand. The project’s aim is to restore space lost due to rising sea levels and to expand the area available along the coast.
The cleanup carried out since August has a different objective from the widening project. While the intervention altered the width of the beach, the current operation focuses on removing waste that reaches the shore during periods of heavy rain and increased material transportation by the waters.
The presence of logs, leaves, plastics, and other items on the new stretch of sand also demands different responses from the teams. Heavier materials require equipment, while smaller items continue to be collected manually throughout the operation.
For the workers, an additional challenge is that the results of a cleanup can shift with the force of the sea. Sections that have already been serviced may again receive debris, forcing machines and teams to return to the same area to repeat the collection.
As long as this flow continues, the city maintains enhanced cleanup efforts at Gravatá Beach, with both manual and mechanized removal depending on the type of material found, and operations also on Sundays when necessary.
