Focusing conservation efforts on finding solutions to plastic pollution and preventing marine litter, the 2017 theme for World Ocean Day, Our Oceans, Our Future, aims to improve the health of our oceans for generations to come.
In the end, our ocean trash problem is a people problem. Living along the Gulf Coast, we can be part of the solution!
Did You Know? Plastic bottles and plastic bags are the most prevalent form of pollution found on our beaches and in our oceans? According to Ocean Conservancy, plastic constitutes approximately 90 percent of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile.
Recycling is one tool in our tool box. But, with the peak recycling rate for post-consumer PET and HDPE (#1 and #2) bottles hovering around 30%, it means we are missing 7 out of 10 bottles! And, many of those bottles find their way into our waterways.
We may not be able to recycle our way out of this one! Especially since plastic production is expected to double in the next 20 years!
Our ocean plastic dilemma demands that we concentrate our efforts at the top of the waste hierarchy—reducing and reusing—along with recycling. New strategies are afoot, get ready for Plastic-Free July!