Ocean Pollution: Stopping The Tide Of Trash

The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth, covering 70-71% of the planet's surface and providing 50-70% of the oxygen we breathe. It is home to essential species and environments that support us in numerous ways, from providing nourishment to generating a habitable climate. However, the ocean is currently facing various environmental threats, including ocean acidification, plastic pollution, beach destruction, and overfishing. To protect our oceans, it is crucial to address these issues and take collective action. This includes reducing plastic waste, improving wastewater systems, using eco-friendly products, reducing chemical pollution, managing oil spills, participating in beach and river cleanups, and advocating for stronger legislation. Individual efforts, such as reducing single-use plastic consumption and choosing sustainable seafood options, are important, but systemic changes are also necessary to combat ocean pollution effectively.

Reduce your carbon footprint

One of the major causes of ocean pollution is ocean acidification, which is caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide entering the ocean. As the pH level of the water decreases, it becomes harder for marine life such as coral reefs to form. To reduce your carbon footprint and help prevent this, you can make conscious decisions about your energy consumption. Here are some ways to do this:

Drive Less

Try to walk, bike, or carpool whenever possible. This will not only reduce your carbon emissions but also decrease the amount of vehicle pollution that ends up in the ocean.

Switch to Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Fluorescent light bulbs are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, emitting less heat and using less energy. By using energy-efficient bulbs, you can reduce your carbon footprint and lower your electricity bills.

Compost Food Waste

Instead of throwing away food scraps, start a compost bin. Composting helps reduce waste and provides a natural, nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. This also means less food waste ends up in landfills, reducing the amount of waste that can make its way into the ocean.

Eat Locally and Plant-Based

Transporting food over long distances contributes to carbon emissions. By choosing locally sourced food, you can reduce the carbon footprint associated with transportation. Additionally, consider eating more plant-based meals. The production and transportation of meat, especially from factory farms, have a significant environmental impact.

Conserve Water

Excess runoff and wastewater can flow into the ocean, contributing to pollution. By using less water, you can help reduce this issue. Simple actions like fixing leaky faucets, installing water-efficient appliances, and adopting water-saving habits can make a difference.

Remember, individual actions alone may not seem like much, but when combined with collective efforts and legislative changes, we can make a significant impact in reducing ocean pollution.

Stay away from plastic

Staying away from plastic is a crucial step in the fight against ocean pollution. Here are some detailed, direct, and instructive tips to help you reduce your plastic consumption and, in turn, help protect our oceans:

Reduce Plastic Waste

The first step is to understand your plastic consumption. Take an honest look at the plastic items you throw away daily and identify areas where you can make changes. This awareness will help you make more informed choices and reduce your plastic waste.

Reusable Bags

Say no to single-use plastic bags. Bring your own reusable bags when shopping. By doing this, you can eliminate the need for hundreds or even thousands of plastic bags over time. Look for eco-friendly, compostable bags made from materials like cellulose.

Produce Bags

When buying fruits and vegetables, avoid those packed in plastic wrap or clamshells. Instead, bring your own mesh cloth bags for produce. This simple switch will help you cut down on unnecessary plastic waste.

Food Storage

Kick your zipper food storage bag habit. Instead, opt for reusable silicone or paper-based bags. These alternatives are more environmentally friendly and reduce the amount of plastic you throw away.

Trash Bags

If you properly dispose of food waste through composting or a garbage disposal, and recycle items like aluminium and glass, you may find that you don't need trash bags at all. Alternatively, you can look for trash bags made from recycled materials or compostable options.

Takeout Containers

Bring your own containers when dining out or getting leftovers. This reduces the need for single-use plastic containers. If you frequently order takeout, request that condiment packets, cutlery, and straws be excluded from your order to further reduce plastic waste.

Prepackaged Foods

Avoid prepackaged foods as much as possible. Instead, bring your own containers and buy in bulk from stores that offer refillable options for items like pasta, grains, and nuts. If bulk options are not available, opt for brands that use paper, glass, or metal packaging.

Drinks

Say no to drinks in plastic bottles. Choose drinks packaged in aluminium cans, which can be infinitely recycled. If you're a coffee drinker, invest in a reusable coffee cup or travel mug. Remember to know the volume of your cup so that you can be charged accurately. If you forget your reusable cup, ask for your drink to be served 'for here' in a mug. When it comes to water, carry a reusable water bottle and refill it with tap water. This simple switch can significantly reduce your global warming impact.

Straws

If you enjoy using a straw, opt for reusable options made from glass, metal, or silicone. Alternatively, you can simply sip from the cup without a straw!

Tea

Avoid plastic tea bags, as they release microplastics into your drink. Choose loose leaf tea or tea packaged in paper bags instead. This small change can make a big difference in reducing your plastic consumption.

Plastic Wrap

Say no to plastic wrap. Instead, opt for reusable and eco-friendly alternatives like stretchy silicone covers, beeswax wraps, or aluminium foil. You can also cover your food with a plate or store it in a bowl.

Online Shopping

When shopping online, add a note to your order requesting minimal or no plastic packaging. While this may not always be honoured, it's worth trying to reduce the amount of plastic used in delivery packaging.

Frozen Food

The frozen food aisle is filled with plastic packaging. Try to shop sparingly in this section and opt for fresh or bulk options whenever possible.

Snack Packs

Buy snacks in bulk or bake your own to reduce the number of individually wrapped items. Chips, cookies, and granola bars are often packaged in plastic, so look for alternatives with minimal or recyclable packaging.

Personal Care Products

Ditch plastic whenever possible when it comes to personal care products. Choose soap, shampoo, detergents, and cleaning products packaged in paper, glass, or aluminium. Also, consider using a metal razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable plastic razors.

Microplastics

Be mindful of products that contain microplastics, such as exfoliating scrubs and toothpastes with microbeads. These tiny plastic particles can end up in our oceans and contribute to pollution. Opt for natural alternatives instead.

Sanitary Products

Consider switching to reusable sanitary products, such as cloth diapers, menstrual cups, or period underwear. If you prefer disposable options, choose all-cotton pads and tampons with cardboard applicators and paper wrapping.

By following these tips and staying away from plastic as much as possible, you can significantly reduce your plastic consumption and play a vital role in protecting our oceans from pollution. Remember, every small change adds up and contributes to a healthier planet.

Keep our beaches clean

Trash and waste left on beaches by people and their pets are a common occurrence, and this litter has easy access to the ocean, which is extremely harmful to both marine and human life. To prevent beaches from being trashed, it is important to clean up after yourself and remind others to do the same. If you want to take it a step further, you can participate in a local beach cleanup.

Beach cleanups are one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight sea pollution. They not only help to remove plastic waste from the ocean but also raise awareness about the issue, inspiring others to take action. By joining or organizing a beach cleanup event, you can do your part in saving the oceans from plastic pollution. It is a gratifying way to help eliminate plastics that are already in the water and prevent more from entering.

To keep our beaches clean, it is also essential to reduce plastic waste. This can be done by refusing single-use plastic items, using reusable containers whenever possible, and finding sustainable alternatives to plastic. It is also important to recycle or dispose of single-use plastics responsibly when possible. Unfortunately, only 9% of plastic is recycled globally, so there is a lot of room for improvement.

In addition to reducing and recycling plastic, we can also support organizations working on large-scale projects to clean up our beaches and oceans. For example, The Ocean Cleanup and Surfers Against Sewage are two organizations dedicated to tackling this issue. By supporting their efforts, we can make a bigger impact in keeping our beaches clean.

Make sustainable seafood choices

Making sustainable seafood choices is one of the most important ways to contribute to healthier oceans. Seafood species are being extracted from the oceans at a rate that wild populations cannot replenish, with 93% of wild fish populations currently considered fully-fished or overfished.

The first step in making sustainable seafood choices is to identify the source. Ask where your seafood comes from and how it was caught or farmed. These factors can make a big difference to the sustainability of the seafood you buy. Some fishing methods, like trawling, can cause irreversible harm to ocean habitats and wildlife. Fisheries and farms with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification have higher environmental standards and are traceable.

To make sustainable seafood choices, it is important to diversify your seafood choices. By choosing a diverse range of seafood from well-managed sources, you can help reduce pressure on the most popular species, such as cod, haddock, prawns, salmon, and tuna, which make up around 64% of our seafood consumption.

Choose climate-friendly seafood with lower carbon emission sources of animal protein. Eating lower in the food chain is also more sustainable, as filter-feeding shellfish are very efficient at producing protein and do not require feed when farmed.

Avoid vulnerable fish from deep-sea fisheries, immature fish that have not had a chance to breed, and endangered or protected species. It is also recommended to avoid seafood that is heavily overfished, slow to reproduce, or environmentally destructive to catch or raise, such as bluefin tuna, Atlantic halibut, eel, orange roughy, imported shrimp, and Chilean sea bass.

In addition to the environmental impact, it is important to consider the social implications of the fishing industry, including fish fraud and slavery. Ask questions about where your seafood comes from and whether it has any sustainability certifications. By making educated choices and supporting sustainable fisheries, you can contribute to healthier oceans and the livelihoods of the communities that depend on them.

Educate yourself and others

Educating yourself and others about ocean pollution is a powerful tool in the fight to protect our oceans. Understanding the issues and sharing this knowledge with others can be one of the most effective ways to save our seas.

Educating yourself about ocean pollution means learning about the various threats facing the ocean, such as plastic pollution, beach destruction, overfishing, and ocean acidification. For example, plastic pollution is a pervasive issue, with around 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. This plastic does not decompose, and so it can remain in the ocean indefinitely, posing a serious risk to marine life, human health, and the vitality of coastal tourism. Ocean acidification, meanwhile, is caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide entering the ocean, making it more difficult for coral reefs to form. Learning about these issues and their impacts is the first step towards taking action and finding solutions.

Once you have educated yourself, sharing this knowledge with others can help to raise awareness and inspire action. This can be done through word-of-mouth or via social media platforms. By spreading the word, you can help others understand the seriousness of the threats facing the ocean and encourage them to make a difference. This might involve sharing information about the impact of plastic pollution on marine life and human health, or explaining how carbon dioxide emissions contribute to ocean acidification. You can also share practical tips, such as how to reduce plastic waste by using reusable containers and bags, or how to lower your carbon footprint by driving less or switching to energy-efficient light bulbs.

In addition to raising awareness, education can also involve challenging cultural norms and attitudes that contribute to ocean pollution. For instance, you can question the idea that we need perfectly manicured lawns, which often involve the use of toxic chemicals that can find their way into the ocean. By encouraging others to adopt more environmentally friendly practices, you can help to reduce the demand for harmful products and promote a more sustainable approach to landscaping and agriculture.

Finally, education can also involve monitoring and measuring progress towards reducing ocean pollution. This might involve supporting organizations that are working to protect the ocean, such as The Ocean Cleanup and Surfers Against Sewage, or advocating for increased funding for monitoring and surveillance programs. By staying informed and involved, you can help hold governments, industries, and polluting industries accountable for their actions and ensure that they are taking the necessary steps to protect our oceans.

Frequently asked questions