Environment

Pollution From Plastic Threatens Beach

by Barbara McPherson | February 23, 2009 at 03:23 pm

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This is an ocean planet. On Vancouver Island we have been blessed with the bounty from the ocean. Oysters lay on the clean beaches. Children play on the sandy beaches in the summer. Dog walkers have interesting places to roam. The beauty is free for all. Shorebirds are abundant. River otters make their living here, catching small fish. Crabs and other invertebrates make a good living under and on the rocks.

Pollution from plastics threatens the beauty and life of our sea shores. A quiet walk at low tide on the east coast of Vancouver Island reveals many pieces of plastic washed ashore. It’s not just the massive garbage gyres in the Pacific that we need to worry about. Careless people tossing plastic water bottles overboard wash up on our inland shores. That plastic wrap left over from a picnic lunch will blow away and lodge in the driftwood, perhaps to be eaten by a passing gull. Styrofoam washed up in chunks breaks down to form plastic “sand” which can be mistaken for food by shorebirds.

There is other garbage that comes in with the tide, but eventually the broken glass becomes rounded and worn. The old logging cables rust and return to the earth. Plastics are nearly forever and in the meantime cause much mischief. The oceans and their shores belong to all of us. It is incumbent on us all to look after them. Pack your picnic leavings home. If you are a boater, be vigilant about what goes overboard. Next time you come to the beach think about bringing a bag and picking up some plastic garbage. It's better in a landfill than on the beach.

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Barbara McPherson

at 15:39 on February 23rd, 2009

I thought I was being technically 'with it' and wrote my story and did a copy/paste to NP. I have no idea what all the gibberish is at the beginning. It disappears when I go to edit it out. I guess I'm still in the techie dark ages. Sorry for the less than polished look. B.

Ms.Exarte

at 19:59 on February 23rd, 2009

I took this heartbreaking photo in January 2009 while on location in Cozumel, photographing the devastating problem of plastic trash washing up on beaches in the Caribbean. The problem is no worse in Cozumel than any other island in the Caribbean. I just happen to love the island and visit often.

I am currently working on an multi-media creative project about the problem of plastics in the ocean. During the last week of January I spent several days photographing and collecting trash on the wild side of the island. At the end of the first day I decided to take a small car load of trash to the inland landfill and came upon this astonishing scene, one that very few happy island touristas are "privileged" to see.

If you are interested in following my progress on this project, you can read more at http://janetchilton.blogspot.com/

Ms.Exarte has contributed a photo to this story.