F.M.L.

Filth.Muck.Litter

My usual post of a Featured Creature is being postponed this week for a different, but just as equally important topic....TRASH!!!

I have mentioned several times that I live at the ocean, and I have the benefit of going to the beach everyday. Everyday I bring a sand bucket with me and make it a point to pick up a full bucket of trash on the beach either before or after I go in the water. I don't do this for praise, or recognition, I do this because it is the RIGHT thing to do. I am an active surfer and swimmer and I don't like swimming in filth. A good day to pick up trash, is when I can't fill my bucket...this is rare. A bad day is when my bucket over flows with other people's trash...yesterday was a bad day.

Going down to the water I could already see the trash before I even made it there. Because the tide was rising, I decided to pick up the trash before going into the water. It only took a matter of minutes to fill up my bucket, and I hadn't even moved 10 feet away from where I laid down my surfboard. Usually I just stick to picking up a bucket full, but I couldn't stop. There was still SO much trash left. Needless to say, I picked up a total of 3, overflowing bucket fulls and 2 large hand fulls of trash. Included in this were 3 spray paint cans, at least 15 plastic bottles, 1 balloon, 1 glass bottle and countless other pieces of broken plastic and styrofoam.

As I threw away the last bucket full, for the first time ever, I was thanked by a fellow surfer. As I stated, I don't do this for the praise, but I have to admit, it felt really nice to be thanked for my efforts to not only make my beach experience better, to help make others experience good as well. Feeling pretty happy with myself I walked back down to the water and started to swim and catch some waves. As I got out, I looked down the beach and there....Litter. I became so dishearted. I started to think to myself, "Why do I even bother?" Every time I go to the beach, I pick up a bucket full just knowing that the very next day I will have to do the same. I started to feel that things only get worse, they don't get better. No matter how many bucket fulls of trash I pick up, there will always be at least 3 other bucket fulls that I didn't get to.

Over the years I have some pretty disgusting things...bottles (plastic and glass), balloons, condom wrappers and needles...YES, hypodermic needles, with needle still attached!! I started to leave with my husband and was thinking that what I do doesn't make a difference. There will always be someone throwing their cigarette out the window, leaving their trash at the beach, park, etc. But then, I turned around to take one last look at the beautiful water, and saw that the small area I was in was clean. Just sand, shells, seaweed and the occasional piece of drift wood. And as I looked I realized I do make a difference! I may not be able to clean up every piece of trash, but for a time being this small stretch of beach is how it's supposed to look...clean.

EVERYONE can make a difference! It doesn't take much effort to pick up a single piece of rubbish you see and throw it away in a trash can, or recycling bin. My back hurts after bending over so much and picking up trash, but when I know that that piece of trash will not end up in our waters, it is totally worth it. I may not be able to change everyone's mind, but if I am able to convince someone, either by them seeing me pick up trash, or reading this blog, to pick up at least one piece of litter, I will have made another difference for our oceans!

PLEASE, pick up after yourselves! Throw things away where they belong. Recycle whenever possible. EVERYONE makes a difference in this world, whether it is for bad, or good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShGVggcHf4

Photo by Surfrider Foundation
Video by Paulphin Photography