Causecast

Check out Causecast’s United We Serve page for more summer Do-It-Yourself service projects!

Get the Facts.
Thousands of marine animals die each year either because they eat trash, mistaking it for food, or because they become inescapably entangled in it and suffocate. Marine habitats are continually being destroyed because of trash, bacterial contamination from sewage and oil spills.

We can help by reducing litter that travels through storm drains and ends up in our oceans. Unfortunately, trash will still end up on our beaches and in our waterways and here’s how to begin to clean up.

Plan a Clean-Up.
Start small. Invite a few friends for a beach clean-up on a weekend day. Some people might be hesitant to come if it means giving up their day off, so try to make it fun and reward them for helping. For example, setting up a competition might make the clean-up more energetic and help the time fly by. Set up a simple rule for the competition, like the person to find the most glass bottles wins. Or establish a point system for several items, to establish the “winner.”

Here’s a list of the top ten items of trash found polluting our beaches. Keep an eye out for these as you clean:

•Cigarettes and filters
•Plastic bags
•Food wrappers and containers
•Caps and lids
•Plastic bottles
•Paper bags
•Straws and stirrers
•Cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons
•Glass bottles
•Drink cans

Another way to reward people is by bring snacks or plan a fun post-clean-up activity. After a productive morning clean-up, gather everyone around for a game of beach volleyball or frisbee to blow off some steam. You can easily parlay this fun and rewarding day into a weekly or monthly habit.

Join a Bigger Group

If you’ve mastered the small scale clean-up and you’re ready to do more, bring your clean-up crew to the annual International Coastal Cleanup on September 19th. People from over a hundred countries around the world participate in this event, cleaning up millions of pounds of garbage each year, off beaches and out of the water. Sign up online to join in!

Photo by John H. Kim, flickr