Polluted Oceans
Our Polluted Oceans - 6 Million Pounds, 7.2 Million Pieces of Trash
By Sam Greyhawk
Last Thursday the Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in our oceans. This report includes brand new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup, which billed itself as the "most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris."
According to Laura Capps, senior vice president at the Ocean Conservancy, "Our ocean is sick, and the plain truth is that our ocean ecosystem cannot protect us unless it is healthy and resilient. Harmful impacts like trash in the ocean, pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction are taking its toll."
H. Josef Hebert of the AP states, "volunteers scoured 33,000 miles of shoreline worldwide and found 6 million pounds of debris from cigarette butts and food wrappers to abandoned fishing lines and plastic bags that threaten seabirds and marine mammals." That 6 million pounds translates into nearly 7.2 million individual items. In all that trash - what were the ten most common types of debris found in our oceans?
Most Common Debris
- Cigarettes and Cigarette Filters - 1.97 Million
- Food Wrappers and Containers - 693,612
- Caps and Lids - 656,088
- Bags - 587,827
- Beverage Bottles (Plastic) - 494,647
- Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives and Spoons - 376,294
- Beverage Bottles (Glass) - 349,143
- Cigar Tips - 325,893
- Straws and Stirrers - 324,680
- Beverage Cans - 308,292
In the ocean these items are deadly to marine life. Pollution in our oceans kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year. A large percentage of our most common forms of debris are recyclable. Why do we choose to waste precious resources, polluting our oceans and killing our marine life? Instead of polluting, we need to protect our oceans and their eco-systems. How? By making sure your recyclables and trash and are disposed of properly.
Becoming Part of the Solution
Are you interested in being part of the solution? Do you want to help clean up our beaches and coastlines? Then consider participating in the next Coastal Clean-Up Day - September 20th, 2008.
Don't pollute our oceans, help preserve the eco-systems they hold and our limited natural resources by recycling whatever you can, whenever you can. The more we recycle the less waste and debris end up in our oceans.
Sam Greyhawk is an environmental evangelist working with Cool-N-Save(tm), an Energy Star Partner, to spread the message of reduce, reduce and recycle. The Cool-N-Save(tm), endorsed by Ed Begley, Jr [http://www.coolnsave.com/ed_begely_jr_endorses_cool-n-save.html]., is an energy saving device for your existing air conditioner that has been scientifically proven to dramatically lower your utility bill
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