Surfrider encourages participation in local cleanups
Marine debris is scattered along every beach I have ever walked on. Often, local beaches might look clean, but they are actually filled with large amounts of fragmented pieces hidden under driftwood and up above the high-tide line.
I joined the local chapter of Surfrider Foundation about 10 years ago because I was devastated that our oceans were becoming dumping grounds for our plastic garbage. The United Nations has stated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. I knew I needed to do something locally to help prevent more debris from washing into the ocean.
Surfrider members in B.C. have been conducting monthly beach cleanups and tracking the volume and types of debris collected for over 10 years. Each year, hundreds of passionate volunteers collect thousands of pounds of marine debris that have been washed up or disposed of on Vancouver Island beaches.
Ninety per cent of the debris found at every Surfrider cleanup is plastic, including plastic shopping bags. In fact, according to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Canada’s largest nationwide cleanup initiative, plastic shopping bags are one of the most common types of debris collected at beach cleanups, consistently earning them a spot on Canada’s annual “dirty dozen” list, published on their website: shorelinecleanup.ca/impact/facts.
After cleaning our local beaches all summer in 2017, Surfrider organized the first citywide cleanup in October with more than 150 volunteers. More than 290 kilograms of debris was picked up off 10 “clean” beaches in two hours. This event demonstrated that no beach is ever “clean.” And unfortunately, the data from our beach cleanups demonstrate that the amount of debris we collect is growing substantially each year.
Beach cleanups are a fun, family-friendly activity and a great way to give back to your community. The types of debris found will surely inspire you to make personal changes to reduce your plastic footprint.
Many of the items are singleuse and can be avoided easily by leaving your house with your reusable coffee cup, bag and water bottle. However, behaviour change is not always a reliable solution to broad waste reduction, and it’s important for municipal governments to intervene and remove unnecessary and hazardous material from the waste stream.
By banning single-use plastic bags, the City of Victoria is joining a growing movement of municipalities, states, provinces and nations around the world that have acknowledged the environmental hazards associated with plastic bags. This admirable decision demonstrates environmental leadership and will help reduce the amount of plastic debris in the ocean and on our beaches.
“Be the change.” Make a resolution for 2018 to avoid single-use plastics and clean a beach.