Malizia Agustina, Galindo-Cardona Alberto, Matias Emiliano, Gallardo García Freire Patricio, Foguet Javier, Monmany-Garzia A Carolina
Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán - CONICET, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina.
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 23;15(1):17981. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02653-0.
The proliferation of plastic waste since the 20th century has exacerbated pollution problems despite technological advances in waste management. In Argentina, 35% of municipal solid waste is discarded in untreated open dumps, causing environmental and public health risks. This study focused on detecting and mapping open dumps in the most densely populated province, Tucumán, using satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Specifically, for each dump we (1) described spatio-temporal dynamics, (2) analyzed topography and hydrology characteristics, and (3) quantified waste mass. We identified and mapped forty open dumps (range size: 0.05 to 3.79 hectare). Most dumps were located within an endorheic basin, at 5 km or less from urban centers. Many have increased in size over the last decade, especially larger dumps (> than 1 hectare). The hydrological analysis showed material movement from dumps to surrounding environments, mainly watercourses and crops. Total waste mass averaged 5.72 kilotons (kt) per dump (range: 0.06 to 38.45 kilotons, where 1 kt = 1000 tons). This exhaustive survey of open dumps highlights the urgent need for sustainable waste management practices to mitigate environmental and public health risks in Tucumán and other regions facing similar challenges.
自20世纪以来，尽管废物管理技术取得了进步，但塑料垃圾的激增加剧了污染问题。在阿根廷，35%的城市固体废物被丢弃在未经处理的露天垃圾场，造成环境和公共健康风险。本研究聚焦于利用卫星图像和无人机（UAV）检测和绘制人口最密集的省份图库曼的露天垃圾场。具体而言，对于每个垃圾场，我们（1）描述了时空动态，（2）分析了地形和水文特征，以及（3）量化了垃圾质量。我们识别并绘制了40个露天垃圾场（面积范围：0.05至3.79公顷）。大多数垃圾场位于内流盆地内，距离城市中心5公里或更近。在过去十年中，许多垃圾场的面积都有所增加，尤其是较大的垃圾场（大于1公顷）。水文分析表明，垃圾中的物质向周围环境移动，主要是水道和农作物。每个垃圾场的垃圾总质量平均为5.72千吨（kt）（范围：0.06至38.45千吨，其中1 kt = 1000吨）。这项对露天垃圾场的详尽调查凸显了迫切需要采取可持续的废物管理措施，以减轻图库曼和其他面临类似挑战地区的环境和公共健康风险。
