Here’s a recap of an astonishing article from the AP last week:
Nearly seven million pounds of debris was collected from waterways and shorelines around the world during a SINGLE day last year. Seven million pounds! That’s roughly the weight of 16 school busses full of high schoolers. Look it up – I did. Nearly 400,000 volunteers scoured about 17,000 miles of coastline, river bottoms and ocean floors durng the Ocean Conservancy’s 23rd International Coastal Cleanup back in September. That seven million pounds is the total weight of about 11.4 million items picked up and fished out worldwide. You want to know what really grosses me out? Volunteers picked up more than 11,000 diapers in the Philippines. Really?!
According to OC (and a previous post of ours), thousands of marine mammals, sea turtles and birds are injured or killed by ocean trash every year. The majority of this trash comes from land-based activities, like tossing fast-food wrappers during beach picnics.
For those like me who are curious about what goes into seven million pounds of trash, check out the Top 10 List printed in the Seattle Times.
sarahblanchard
meganhilfer
lauravanderpool
laurenswezey
krispendleton
