Neala and Darwin help clean beaches of plastics
Neala and Darwin help clean beaches of plastics
Now that temperatures are starting to rise and we are preparing for the arrival of summer, we have decided to pay a visit to the beaches. We had in mind a natural place with clean sand, rocks and crystal clear waters. However, as happens in the mountains, we have found too many human footprints. How can we clean the beaches of so much plastic?
We need alternatives to plastics
They say that many plastics take only one or two decades to degrade. But several studies have shown that this is not true, since other chemical components are always used and the conditions supposedly necessary for the process to take place are not met.
If we continue using plastic as we do today, by 2050 there will be more of this material in the sea than fish. Doesn't that seem really crazy to you? There are also various campaigns aimed at raising awareness about recycling, and we think they are very good. But do they solve the problem? The answer is no.
The solution to prevent global warming from continuing to evolve is, among other actions, to stop using plastic. Glass is the material that is most easily recycled, and yet it is also the one that lasts the longest. Bet on products packaged in it and give the jars a second life. They will not only serve to store food!
Returning to the beaches we have visited, we found very small pieces of plastic. They are called microplastics, and in addition to being very harmful because birds and fish ingest them and die, they are the most difficult to eliminate when cleaning beaches. But all is not lost!
How can we clean the beaches
As happens with recycling , cleaning the beaches is fine. But the first thing is to stop dirtying them. If we go to the sea to spend the day with the family, we cannot leave anything that we have brought with us. That is, no aluminum foil, no gum, no bags or anything that doesn't naturally belong on the beach.
It is not that the beaches cannot be cleaned, the problem is that it involves pollution. They damage the environment and cause the death of more than 100,000 animals a year, either because they become trapped or because they cannot digest them. We must remember that planet Earth is everyone's home.
In addition to avoiding making more dirt, we can also clean the beaches or a small part of them when we go. And that's what we've done! It seems that there are already groups dedicated to cleaning the beaches, and we have joined them. In the end it has become a fun experience and we have made many friends.
When cleaning beaches, you will differentiate microplastics because they are usually colored; oranges, blues, yellows... Nothing that resembles those we find in the sand. And the larger ones will have the shape of the products you usually use. Wrappers, bottles, bags and a long etcetera.
We encourage you to clean the beaches just as we have done. There is nothing more satisfying than feeling like we are actively helping the planet. Perhaps many other people will also be encouraged to collaborate after seeing you do it before.
