Here are some excellent reasons to help cleanup your local coastal community:
Trash at the Blue Heron Bridge on the NEW artificial reef…so sad.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnfL4MdYTQA&feature=youtu.be&rel=0]
In addition to these local garbage issues, consider the bigger picture, especially when it comes to PLASTICS.
Plastics are the biggest problem of all!
The most prevalent type of marine debris is plastic. Look around your home, office, or even your car…what do you find? Almost all plastic!
The image below is from the Ocean Conservancy, showing the top 10 items found around the world during beach cleanups. Plastic bottles and bags comprise a huge chunk of these items.
So why are plastics so terrible?
Number one, they take a very, very long time to break-down, but they never fully “go away.” Instead of biodegrading, plastics break down into smaller pieces over hundreds of years. Some biodegradable plastics will eventually break down in a landfill or compost pile, but not in the ocean. In the ocean, plastics “photo-degrade.” The sun’s UV rays break down bonds between the polymers in plastics. However, this also allows harmful chemicals to be released into the surrounding water.
Furthermore, plastics originate from oil! Crude oils are the starting point for countless substances because they contain hydrocarbons (a special type of molecule). When hydrocarbons chains are chemically connected, you can create anything from nylon to plastic water bottles. Now, stop and think about how much oil went into all the products you use every single day. No wonder we have oil shortages!
IF these facts don’t change your mind about plastics maybe this video will:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0&rel=0]
