week 7 John & Ginger zone 4

Today John and I collected 4 bags of trash.  Apparently, it was a great surf session this morning and there were tons of surfers in the water.  I wish I had taken a picture, but my hands just seemed too yucky to want to touch the camera.

It is amazing the bits and pieces of plastic that we collect on the beach.  Much of it I just throw away without even counting it as anything---it is just too gross to sort.  However, I had the thought that sometimes "one time use" plastics are not even "one time use".  This thought occurred to me because I pick up plenty of straws that are still in the wrappers---never used at all, but they become litter--not just any litter, but litter that does not biodegrade and it dangerous to wildlife and the environment.  What a shame.  "Kaliwali"--must be more "mindful" to not buy one time use plastics when possible.


We picked up 32+ plastic food wrappers (plastic packaging for snacks and candy).

We also collected:
12 butts
1 cigar tip
3 cigarette packages
3 balloons (one was very long (about 2 feet)
6 toys or toy pieces (I think I found the ball that goes with the beach paddles I found last week---score!)
3 clothing articles (hope I will look good in the "Life is Good" hat)
5 plastic bottles
1 beer bottle
2 cans
3 plastic cup lids
2 plastic spoons
13 straws
3 fireworks remnants
3 styrofoam cups
24 plastic bottle caps
2 plastic bags
5 ziplock bags
1 plastic comb
1 pair of broken sunglasses
1 plastic hair bow
1 pacifier
1 fishing lure
1 boogie board
5 chairs that we moved away from the tideline
1 metal rod from a broken umbrella

Also, John and I took the boat out for a quick ride this weekend (quick b/c it was so windy); and as always we retrieved trash from the waterway.  This weekend it was another plastic bag.  I sure hope New Hanover County will work towards banning plastic bags or at least creating a bag fee.  Plastic bags never biodegrade, they only photodegrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller particles making it impossible to remove them from our environment (land or water).  They also are mistaken for food by wildlife and often times lead to the death of animals such as whales, seals, birds, and sea turtles.   When in the water, plastic bags resemble jelly fish.  Jelly fish are one of the main food sources for sea turtles; and sea turtles will mistake the plastic bag (& balloons) for jelly fish.


Please so "no" to plastic bags.