Problematic Plastic Pollution

When most people hear the words “beach” or “ocean” an image of sandy, white, deserted beaches and pristine, turquoise waters comes to mind.  Few people however, unfortunately picture trash-covered beaches where the sand is barely visible and sludgy, polluted water. Waste from cruise ships, fishing vessels, cargo ships, even trash from land, is increasingly contaminating and destroying beaches and oceans all over the world.

This waste, frequently called "marine debris" is, defined by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as "any persistent, manufactured, or processed solid material that is directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment." This debris can consist of any object that threatens marine life, the health of humans, or interferes with navigation.  

Cruise ships are one of the oceans biggest enemies. These ships, also known commonly as “floating cities” produce an unimaginable amount of waste. According to oceana.org, the average ship holds between 3,000 and 5,000 people and produces:

-          Up to 30,000 gallons of human waste (sewage).

-           255,500 gallons of gray water (water produced from laundries, sinks, showers, etc).

-           7,000 gallons of oily bilge water that is all released into the ocean.

-          In one day, they can produce the amount exhaust equivalent to 12,000 vehicles.

Worst of all, however, is that in one year, 15 billion pounds of trash is dumped into oceans worldwide. The most abundant form of trash floating around or washing up, is plastic. According to an article by Donovan Hohn from the New York Times, as of 2008 oceanographers have concluded that, depending on the location of the sample, between 60 and 95 percent of the trash in the ocean is made of plastic. Plastic does not disintegrate; if anything, it breaks apart.

When I visited Punta Allen, Mexico with my family, we were allowed to borrow snorkeling gear only if we collected trash while on the beach. I was completely appalled at the number of plastic bottle caps I collected; well over 100 in a matter of minutes. Along with the bottle caps, I collected shampoo bottles, soda bottles, milk cartons, plastic silverware, netting, shards of sharp, broken plastic, a baby doll arm, 12 flip-flops, and hundreds of other pieces of debris.  

Trash is something that we humans produce and therefore should take responsibility for. Why are the helpless beaches, and oceans and marine life paying consequences for all of this?