Whether we live near a coast or hundred of miles inland, we are all connected to the ocean. It drives and moderates our climate. It helps provide the water we drink and much of the oxygen we breathe. It directly feeds millions of people. It also absorbs much of the air and water pollution generated by a world population approaching seven billion. However, our ocean is sick, and our actions have made it so. We are all contributing to the tide of ocean trash. When we trash our ocean, we trash our life support system.
Trash travels. It washes into the ocean from streets, parking lots, and storm drains. Overflowing sewage systems and storm drains add to the burden by ferrying trash from streets to the ocean. Despite regulations, trash is dumped directly into the ocean. Organic materials have been supplanted by synthetics, so not only do items like abandoned fishing gear and food containers last for years, but they are often highly buoyant, traveling thousands of miles on ocean currents.
Marine debris kills. Every year, countless marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and other animals are sickened, injured, or killed because of encounters with dangerous items we leave in the sea. They are poisoned, choked, or entangled in the trash we leave behind - from leaky paint cans to empty yogurt cups to abandoned fishing gear.
Many birds, seals, turtles and fish eat things like plastic bags or bottle caps. Ingested trash can cause choking, blockage of the digestive system, or toxic poisoning. Four hundred forty-three marine animals and birds were found entangled during the most recent International Coastal Cleanup. Some were save; others had died.
Cast-off chemical drums and motor oil bottles, rusting cars and household appliances dumped into the sea affect not only wildlife but when toxic materials from marine debris get into the seafood supply they may compromise human health.
The largest source of marine debris found during cleanups is from shreline and recreational activities It includes beverage bottles and cans along with food wrappers and containers. Clearly the ways in which we dispose of these items after eting and drinking often leads to trash in the ocean.
We are all responsible for the trash we leave behind, contributing to the tide of debris in our oceans and waterways. Marine debris is more than just an eyesore. It is one of the most pervasive pollution problems plaguing the world’s oceans and waterways.
Much of what winds up in the ocean wasn’t truly necessary in the first place. W can produce less packaging up front and cut back on debris through programs the encourage positive changes in behavior such as recycling and the routine use of cloth grocery bags. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!
What you can do! Join the annual NYS Beach Cleanup. Events like the Cleanup do make a difference, whether making the local beach or shoreline free of debris or raising awareness and empowering individuals to support a healthier, more resilient ocean. Marine debris doesn’t fall from the sky, it falls from human hands -- and human hands have the power to stop it. Picking up trash at the Cleanup on one day each year is not the whole answer, because trash in the ocean is an ongoing, year-round problem. Working together, we can change behaviors that lead to trash in the ocean, we can change laws to better govern littler and ocean dumping, and we can change to more ocean-friendly products thorough new technologies. Working together, we can solve the marine debris problem.
During the New York State Beach Cleanup in 2009, 144,837 lbs. of trash were documented and removed from 325 miles of shoreline at beach sites. And, just as important, 10,000 people got the message regarding the need for a cleaner, healthier environment and relayed their experience to their family and friends.
New York State data collected reveals the following "Dirty Dozen":
61,260 Cigarettes/ Cigarette Filters
38,183 Caps, Lids
29,987 Food Wrappers/Containers
25,309 Plastic bags
21,596 Plastic Beverage Bottles
17,999 Straws/Stirrers
17,508 Cups, Plates Forks, Knives, Spoons
15,010 Glass Beverage Bottles
13,884 Beverage Cans
9,021 Paper Bags
6,389 Clothing, Shoes
5,740 Balloons
TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO STOP MARINE DEBRIS
1. Volunteer for the New York State Beach Cleanup every September
2. Put trash in a secure, lidded receptacle -- most marine debris starts out on land.
3. Put cigarette butts in ashtrays, not on streets, sidewalks, or beaches.
4. Properly recycle everything you can: batteries, cans, bottles and food containers, newspaper, cell phone, computers, bags, packaging materials, and fishing line. Contact your local sanitation office to discover your recycling options.
5. When boating, bring your oil can, food wrappers, and cigarette butts back to shore, and be sure to ask your marina to handle waste properly.
6. Start conversations that inform and inspire your friends and coworkers to help stop marine debris at the source.
7. Bring along you own permanent food containers for picnics instead of using disposables.
8. Remember to take your own reusable bags whenever you go shopping.
9. Write to companies or visit local shops and restaurants and encourage them to reuse, recycle, and generate less packaging.
10. Write to you elected officials and encourage them to support policies that protect our ocean.