The Beach: A wonderful place to volunteer
- Ucanvolunteer
- Sep 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2023
Ah, the beach. The perfect place to relax and unwind; where you can hear the sounds of crashing waves, see the golden rays of sunlight glistening on the water's surface, and feel the cool ocean breeze whip against your sunburnt face. But wait. What's that you can suddenly see on the floor?
I'll tell you what it is: it's TRASH.
How does trash impact the ocean and its local wildlife?
Yep, one of nature's greatest beauties was once again impacted by the destructive hand of man. Things like plastic bottles, bags, and even diapers lie on sandy beaches all around the world. This can impact organisms that live on that sand and look to it as a source of food. For example, seagulls often mistake small pieces of plastic for little animals and insects. Sometimes even for fish! Another example would be hermit crabs. It was estimated that around 570,000 Hermit crabs have been killed after being trapped in plastic debris. The poor little guys did nothing to deserve that now, did they?
But the trash that beachgoers leave behind doesn't just lie on the sand forever. High tides wash it out to sea, and from there onwards, there's no stopping it. It spreads through the ocean, being consumed by thousands of fish and intoxicating them, as well as strangling many other sea creatures. In addition to this, the tons and tons of garbage are pushed around by sea currents and eventually meet in one place, which forms something called a 'trash island'. These are definitely not the typical islands that you could walk or live on. One of the most famous examples of this concept can be found in the Pacific Ocean, where the biggest trash island in the world exists, and is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This garbage patch has a size of approximately 2.5 million square kilometers, and is twice the size of Texas!
Many people would argue that cleaning trash from beaches is a simple way of thinking, and will not actually do much to benefit the environment or the community. Although we may not be able to get rid of hundreds of kilograms of garbage in a single day, we volunteers can still have a positive effect on our planet. Picture this: you go to the beach one day, and the smell is unbearable, there are piles of trash everywhere, and the water is so full of plastic you can barely move. That, is a world without volunteers cleaning up beaches.
But don't worry, because you can help solve this issue TODAY. All you need is a garbage bag, some gloves, and a heart full of determination.
How to clean a beach:
Think about the weather: You probably don't want to be on the beach during a storm, so consider the weather when deciding which day to go. For example, if it is really sunny, you may need a hat and a water bottle to keep you hydrated.
Gather your materials: You'll need one or more large garbage bags, a mask, some gloves, and if you want, one of those cool trash grabbers.
Bring company: Volunteering is always better when you're doing it with a friend, and you could probably gather more trash together than alone. It's also just safer to bring someone along with you - if you're under the age of 18, bring a parent or guardian.
Get to the beach and start cleaning!
Take a picture: Show others that they can also make a difference by taking small actions.
Weigh the trash you collected: Once your garbage bags are full, you could take them home and weigh them to record how much trash you picked up. This will give you an idea of what you accomplished that day, so you could try to pick up even more garbage next time.
Sort it out: Organise the garbage you picked up into categories of trash like plastic, glass, and waste. Dispose of recyclable materials in recycling bins, and dispose of waste material in regular garbage bins.
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