Pollution of the oceans, which subsequently throw waste on the beaches, is an acute problem of modern society. There are currently over 5.5 trillion plastic waste floating in the world’s waters (Senko et al., 2020). Every year, approximately 300,000 tons of debris rises from the bottom to the surface, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of marine life and birds (Leal Filho et al., 2019). Waters carry waste to the shore, where animals eat them. This is due to the fact that the garbage exudes the smell of seaweed, which is perceived by birds and other inhabitants as food. Moreover, sometimes they get tangled in nets left by fishermen or cannot get out of plastic bags and die painfully from thirst and hunger.
Thus, plastic waste on the beaches has become a real crisis for humanity and fauna. The most serious consequences of plastic for animals is ingestion, as the plastic is not digested by the stomach. Additionally, they experience suffocation and in some situations the plastic grows into their skin. Plastic pollution is getting stronger and it is difficult for people to maintain the necessary level of ecology for the successful existence of many animals.
In this regard, the main way to save animals is to clean up the oceans and coastlines from the waste that is thrown out. To solve the problem, it is important to understand what can replace plastic and what resources can be used for this. this means people can use metal utensils or reusable straws more often, put their trash in a paper bag after going to the beach, and bring glass bottles instead of plastic ones.
Why It Would Work
Environmental organizations can make educational stories for people and then society will see a change in ocean and beach pollution. Appealing to various societies and organizations, such as a church or a student body, will help form clean-up groups. Large companies are increasingly moving away from plastic in favor of more environmentally friendly materials. At the same time, some countries impose bans on the use of plastic dishes and bags, as they are difficult to dispose of, and the decomposition period is long and causes irreparable damage to nature.
However, despite such examples and ongoing environmental education, people continue to use plastic. Society is unaware of the enormous damage they cause to animals and flora. In addition, a large amount of waste on the beach is the cause of global warming. Thus, it is important to explain to people that you can get by with a minimum amount of plastic and recycle it. Thus, taking care of cleaning after visiting the beach and any other places is the responsibility of each person and allows nature to become cleaner.
Restoration Method
The method of focusing on areas of land or water will help improve the ecological situation on the beaches. Gatherings of people in order to clean the coastline can serve as an excellent help and example for the younger generation. Keeping people involved in cleaning is the best way to educate people about sustainability. If an agreement is reached with community groups such as churches and educational institutions, they will be able to broadcast this idea to more people. This means that there will be more and more volunteers ready to take part in cleaning up the beach. As a result of these public works, people will be able to realize the importance of constantly cleaning up after themselves and refusing plastic.
However, not all people share this policy and this leads to continued pollution. In this case, the state may decide to introduce specialized taxes and fines for waste or refuse to sort it. A striking example is the territory of the European Union, where countries have abandoned the use of plastic straws, appliances and utensils (Leal Filho et al., 2019). In case of non-compliance with the conditions, huge fines can be imposed on the person or firm. In addition, the United States has a “State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation,” which states that government agencies are committed to implementing measures to prevent the large use of plastic bags (Senko et al., 2020). Moreover, they are confident that this will reduce the amount of garbage in the oceans and on the beach. Therefore, many states have launched massive recycling programs and other regions are banning plastic bags. All this is aimed at saving the environment, which will lead to less garbage and dead animals on the beach.
Time Frame
To implement the plan, it will be necessary to set deadlines, as a result of which it is possible to establish the dynamics of the reduction of the plastic. Moreover, it will make lesser the death from it of the inhabitants of the beach and the marine environment. The short-term perspective of the outlined plan is to create a specific group that conducts a special check every month. Their area of activity will be to review and report on the execution of small details of the project. This means that people can be confident in the improvement of the environmental situation with plastic. In addition, it will allow less labor intensive and faster achievement of long-term goals and correct the current pollution situation.
The long-term perspective is to limit the use of plastic in the country. At the same time, it is important to understand that if we restrict ourselves to stopping the use of plastic and plastic utensils for a while, nothing will change. At some point, the situation will become objectively better, and the beaches will be cleared, the animals will stop dying in such numbers. However, after the restrictions end, people will start using the plastic and litter again, which will lead to the initial situation. Therefore, it is necessary to replace plastic with more environmentally friendly materials such as glass and paper bags. In doing so, people can use reusable items to reduce waste. However, litter will continue to remain on the beaches, and for this, groups of volunteers must be maintained who will regularly clean up.
The End Goal
The ultimate goal of the project is to clean up the beaches and help the environment in general. Therefore, a great way to start helping nature is to educate in each person the responsibility for garbage collection. Moreover, replacing plastic with alternatives will improve the situation and animals will no longer die from eating waste. In this way, people will be able to become eco-friendly environmentalists. Replacing plastic with reusable household items and more will increase people’s commitment to seeing beaches clean. In addition, the animals can be helped by constant monitoring of the pollution level of the shoreline. If rubbish is found, volunteer teams will be able to organize regular public cleanups.
References
Leal Filho, W., Saari, U., Fedoruk, M., Iital, A., Moora, H., Klöga, M., & Voronova, V. (2019). An overview of the problems posed by plastic products and the role of extended producer responsibility in Europe. Journal of cleaner production, 214, 550-558. Web.
Senko, J. F., Nelms, S. E., Reavis, J. L., Witherington, B., Godley, B. J., & Wallace, B. P. (2020). Understanding individual and population-level effects of plastic pollution on marine megafauna. Endangered Species Research, 43, 234-252. Web.