photo credit: Loz Flowers
If you’re planning a trip to the beach this summer, there are a few items you consider skipping. The small step on your part may have huge results in the big scheme of things since according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s “Testing the Waters” annual report, more than 20,000 beaches in U.S. alone were closed last year because of pollution, which was caused by the human and animal wasted washed out from the old sewage systems by the rain.
Another big issue in ocean and other waterways pollution is debris, and plastic items constitute the highest numbers of visible trash. Nearly 7 million pounds of debris (more than 40% was plastic) were collected during last coastal cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy (a non-profit organization). “This included 1.3 million plastic bags, nearly 1 million food containers and wrappers, close to 940,000 caps and lids, roughly 710,000 plastic bottles, 500,000 straws and stirrers, and just over 440,000 plastic utensils.”—reported National Geographic. What is most disturbing, however, is the fact that plastic debris floating in the oceans are the cause of the deaths of over a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles each year!
There are a few things anyone of us can do to minimize the pollution of the oceans, lakes and beaches worldwide. Here are some simple tips:
Skip the plastic—instead of all kinds of disposable plastic containers and such, bring re-usable bottles, plates and utensils for all your outings, beach included.
Don’t smoke—not only will it benefit your health and improve the quality of the air the one’s around you breath, it will eliminate a big part of the beach debris. If you must smoke, however, make sure not to leave the evidence behind by throwing the cigarette butts and filters in an empty soda or beer can (or other similar container) and disposing of it properly once you’re ready to leave the beach or any picnic or camping site.
Don’t leave your trash behind—make sure to throw any trash n the lined bins and if these are not available, keep your trash in plastic bags and dispose of upon leaving the beach.
Use organic sunscreens and insect repellents—most of the conventional sunscreens and insect repellents contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, which stay in the water and are absorbed by the fatty tissue of fish. This leads to numerous problems, including reproduction. Thus, go for the natural ingredients instead.
Pick up after your pets
Use plastic pants over diapers—even though some swim diapers are leak-proof, there are some, which fail miserable in that department. To be safe from leaking the waste into the ocean or lake, simply use plastic pants over the diapers.
These simple steps and some common sense will insure that we keep the beaches and all coastal and recreational areas clean and safe for the future use.
