Around ten million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans each year. The scale of the problem can seem overwhelming, but there are lots of organizations around the globe fighting to tackle this issue, like The Ocean Cleanup! And there are small actions any individual can take to contribute to the ocean plastic solution, whether you live near the ocean or not.
Read on to learn about a few of the ways that YOU can help reduce ocean plastic.
Reduce Your Use of Plastic
The best way to reduce ocean plastic? Make sure it doesn’t exist in the first place. When you swap single-use plastics for more sustainable alternatives in your daily life, you help stop plastic at its source.
To get started on your plastic reduction journey, read these tips from the United Nations Environmental Programme.
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Track Marine Debris Sightings — for Science!
Does seeing a bunch of trash on the beach make you feel hopeless or frustrated? When you download the Debris Tracker app, you can turn that frustration into action. The app has a simple-to-use interface that allows users to report the location of trash sightings and the kind of trash they see. This all gets collected in a community science-driven database used by conservationists around the world.
Head to SciStarter to download the app and start reporting plastic pollution today!
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Join or Organize a Beach Cleanup!
Beach cleanups are a great way to meet other eco-minded people and do some good in your community. If you don’t live near the ocean, cleanups are also commonly needed around lakes and rivers. The Ocean Conservancy has tips on how to organize your own cleanup. But if you’re not quite ready to organize one yourself, they also have a map of regional coastal cleanup events being organized around the world.
Learn more about beach cleanups near you at their website.
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