Copyright (c) 2026 Centros: Revista Científica Universitaria
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The 2025 water crisis in Azuero, Panama, caused by the pollution of the La Villa River, led to a massive reliance on bottled water as an emergency measure. This situation resulted in a significant increase in single-use plastic waste, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. This descriptive, cross-sectional study characterized solid waste in three urban transects in La Villa de Los Santos, located in front of educational institutions (UDELAS, UTP, and IPTA), between September and December 2025. A total of 2,072 items were collected through direct observation and checklists, and descriptive statistics were applied. The results reveal that PET was the predominant waste (35.81%), followed by cardboard (27.51%), fabric (11.10%), and LDPE (8.20%). Accumulation varied among transects, with transect T1 standing out for its high concentration of waste related to immediate consumption. The discussion contextualizes these findings with scientific literature on microplastics, chemical pollutants (BPA, phthalates), and ecosystem degradation, highlighting the region's environmental and health vulnerability. The study underscores the need for integrated circular economy strategies, environmental education, and public policies to mitigate the impacts of plastic waste in contexts of water emergencies. Furthermore, it proposes strengthening recycling infrastructure and source separation by coordinating community and institutional efforts. The evidence generated contributes to the design of sustainable and resilient responses to environmental crises in Latin American territories, with an emphasis on the integrated management of water resources and solid waste.
Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
