Trash on the beach is not only unsightly, but it also creates threats for many of the underwater critters we love to see. Turtles will mistake plastic bags for jelly fish and eat them. This can cause huge problems for them, consuming plastic can make it difficult for them to eat other foods. It can also block their digestive system leading to painful fatalities. Tangled fishing lines left in the water can lead to entanglement for Manta and Devil Rays, or even sharks. There are many ways we want to protect our oceans, beach cleaning is one that everyone can easily get involved with!
Of course, protecting marine life is not the only reason. We also need to protect ourselves. Many people love playing around on the beach. Kids and adults love building sand castles and we want everyone to be able to do that without fearing risk of cutting themselves on discarded metal or glass.
There isn’t much equipment needed for a beach clean.
Pieces of glass or rusting metal can often be found along the beach. If you choose to pick these things up, be extremely careful! Even if you are just picking up a plastic bag – be careful! In many places these bags could contain substances that you would much rather didn’t explode on you (another great reason to wear gloves!). Be cautious when collecting trash!
Not all rubbish you see has to be removed. If you have limited bags then always put plastic bottles and plastic bags in first – these are the biggest threat to the underwater world.
Some people find beach cleaning a chore, but it can be easy to make it fun. Create competitions and have prizes for people who collect the most rubbish in the shortest amount of time.
Once you have completed your beach clean make sure all the rubbish is properly disposed of. Getting plastic recycled will give you even more eco-points. Recording the trash that you picked up can also be extremely helpful. There are many different operations that value and use this information. Have a look online to see what organisations near you will want this information and what recommendations they have for waste disposal.
Getting other people involved will make it a lot more fun for you. Explain to people what you are doing and why what you are doing is important. Kids and adults from all over the world can get involved!
People often find themselves discouraged when the tide changes and the beach they just worked so hard to clean is, once again, covered in plastic bottles / bags. But don’t be disheartened! It may not feel like it, but everything you do helps! One bag of rubbish you take off the beach is one less bag of plastic that a turtle might try to eat. That bag of rubbish may contain a fishing line that a shark or ray could have become entangled in and died. As one person you may not be able to change everything, but getting yourself and others involves DOES make a difference!
A beach clean doesn’t have to be a huge organised event. Many divers spend times on islands relaxing during their surface interval. If you look around and happen to notice a few bottles or some trash lying around, grab a bag and pick them up. It’ll take 5 minutes, and who knows, maybe it will give you some good diving karma!
