Plastics and the
Marine Environment
Overview
During the 100 hours of training that each new Beach Watcher receives, the overwhelming impression is how everything is related to everything else, whether it be food webs or chains, or development and water flows, or ....
So it is natural that we are increasingly concerned about the mis- and over-use of plastics in our society, as we learn about how so much plastic is discarded, and carried by storm water down streams and rivers to Puget Sound and then to the Pacific Ocean.
Once in the water:
plastic never decomposes - it just photo-degrades into smaller and smaller pieces that look like food to marine animals large to very small.
Many sea birds and animals are dying at increasing rates, because they are malnourished from eating plastic instead of food.
in parallel, we are flushing many chemicals out into the seas, and many of them have an affinity for plastic; the mini plastic debris become what some have called "poison pills".
What do we do about it
- Find alternatives to plastic bags -
Since 2006, different Beach Watchers have researched environmentally friendly "grocery bags", and worked with stores and the public to socialize their importance. We purchased, sold and distributed Beach Watchers green bags in support of this effort. Realizing that even green bags are recyclable but not biodegradable, we switched to an even more eco-friendly canvas bag to replace single-use plastic bags in 2008.
- Spread the word -
To help educate others, we've put together a "travelling show kit" that consists of a display board with photos of "trash", birds entangled and birds that have died by ingesting plastic. We augment that with our Problems with Plastic Brochure.
The kit is used at events, fairs, local club meetings, K-12 classrooms, church groups, marinas and community beach organizations.
Our beach naturalists, in addition to teaching about intertidal life, teach about the dangers of plastics to marine life.
Other Beach Watchers volunteer in the schools, to share some of the material above on a child-appropriate level, and also to assist the Port Townsend Marine Science Center with their outreach programs on marine debris.
- Practice what we preach
Our Beach Watcher events (classes, meetings, picnics and parties) are almost entirely plastics free. We bring our own mugs, dishes and cutlery from home. It's a whole new way of thinking, and we have adopted the habit easily.
We've extended that mindset to larger, more public gatherings. At our Sound Waters "one-day university for all" held annually the first Saturday in February:
- We ask attendees to bring their own cup/water container and provide compostable cups for those who forget
- We've eliminated plastic water bottles
- The food vendors use biodegradable serving containers and tableware, and we work with them to minimize the packaging around the food.
- After the event, the biodegradable tableware and scraps get composted.
This is quite an achievement and attendance is upward of 500 people! In addition, several of the 60+ Sound Waters classes cover plastics, toxins and what they're doing to the marine environment.
- Facilitate Recycling ...
In 2008, a volunteer implemented a Monofilament Recovery and Recycle Program (MRRP) at fishing beaches and boat launches around Whidbey Island, and in 2009 the program was expanded to Camano Island.
We help twice a year with the county "Tires and Plastic Pots" recycling events and support the WSU Island County Extension Waste Wise Program.
- Gather data ...
We are participating in a plastics debris study with Port Townsend Marine Science Center, in which beach substrate is sifted and small plastic particles collected and identified back in the laboratory.
For a more detailed listing of our plastics-related activities over the past few years, see this 2007-2009 grant report.