Think Before You Drink

Yesterday, we could really feel the heat and the humidity when we were cleaning up trash and plastics at Bahia Honda beach. The eight of us were split into two groups, one going to the right side of the beach and other group going to the left side. We filled our water bottles, put loads of sunscreen on, and grabbed a reusable trash bag and gloves. We then set out picking up trash and all different types of plastics. One thing that stuck out to me about the trash that we picking up were that it was many of the products that we use such as plastic straws, plastic jugs (e.g. laundry detergent), plastic caps, and Styrofoam. Also, many of the trash pieces were very small and had been broken into tiny bits that can be easily consumed [by accident] by marine life. Even before we started to pick up trash our group was shown tracks of a turtle coming on the beach and laying eggs in the sand. Marine life, like those turtles, could consume those plastics of even become obstructed from larger plastics.

There are many negatives of single-use plastics, since they are only used once. One being that plastic is not biodegradable and has a lifespan of millions upon millions of years. This means that all of the single-use plastics that are discarded on the ground (not in the recycling bin) affect wildlife for millions of years. When animals or any living organism consumes bits (if not the whole plastic product) of plastic products, it accumulates in there stomachs and makes them feel full. This then leads the animal to die from starvation because they are full of plastic. With consuming the whole plastic product, such as straws, the animal could choke and then die. Either way, single-use plastic is causing so many unnecessary deaths that could easily be prevented from not using them.  

The main ways to counteract the damaging effects of single-use plastic is to either recycle and/or use alternatives to plastic. When properly recycled, the plastic can be reused for another purpose instead of going into the ocean/environment. It is also important to research alternative products to plastics, such as metal straws or reusable bags. Not many people realize that there are small changes that they could make that could help them save money and save wildlife. Overall, this beach clean up has really made me think about how the products that I use every day affect marine life and others.

#Bahia Honda #stop using single-use plastic #save our oceans #think of the turtles #make beaches beautiful again 

https://www.floridastateparks.org/BahiaHonda

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/5-plastic-substitutes.htm