Trashy Beaches - Sailors for the Sea

Trashy Beaches

 July 10, 2013  | By: Oceana

Hull Cove

Program Director Annie Brett teaches sailing instructors about our newest Rainy Day Kit.

Ever heard of Alexander Parkes? In 1856, he patented the first man-made plastic and as a species we have never looked back. For more than 150 years of using plastic as a panacea for everything from vinyl siding for homes to exfoliates in face wash. Quite a bit of it has ended up in one of five locations: North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic and Indian ocean gyres. And these plastics are dangerous for the ocean environment. Not only is the trouble with sea life eating them or getting tangled, but plastics also accumulates chemical pollutants that can poison organisms.

 

looking for mircoplastic

An instructor sifting through sand looking for mircoplastic.

And the gyres are not the only ocean places where plastics accumulate. They can also be found locally. 5GYRES has designed an excellent new Rainy Day Kit that will allow students to identify and quantify different wastes (including those other than plastic) found on your beach by walking and diving along transects, and sifting through sand.

Removing Debris in Hull Cove

Sorting through the debris found on the beach.

The goal is to collect as much debris as possible, while sorting and counting it according to size and type. This kit provides an excellent thinking point for how our use of plastic, and other disposable materials, can affect a larger environment and  cleans your local beach at the same time!

Debris in Hull Cove

Debris removed from Hull Cove in Jamestown, RI

5GYRES is committed to stopping the accumulation of plastic pollution in the five subtropical ocean gyres through research and communication.