By: Kira Krall
Marine debris is a real problem.
In 2015, 68,000 volunteers removed 1,143,000 pounds of trash from California waters.
Trash has even been found almost 3 miles below the surface in European waters, and 41% of that was entirely plastic. And that plastic will stick around for at least 500 years.
During this biodegradation, the plastic doesn’t just slowly dissolve. It breaks apart into microplastics, or pieces of indigestible plastic that are tiny enough to be swallowed by microscopic fish like larvae and plankton.
Through a process called bioaccumulation, top predators like yellowfin tuna can end up with a whole heap of plastic in their systems. And who loves eating yellowfin tuna? Humans. Which means we may end up eating that plastic bag we accidentally lost on the beach a few years back.
A dissected fish is shown here with plastic as the sole stomach content. Pieces of plastic much smaller than this can end up in the tissues of fish that humans consume.
Photo Credit: Source
This marine debris didn’t get into our oceans because people intentionally chucked it into the salty depths. It’s estimated that 80% of all marine debris is actually land-based.
One teacher and three high schoolers from California decided to survey their school’s contribution to the plastic problem. The high schoolers, Arielle, Katrina, and Ciara, collected cafeteria trash for 97 days, then pulled out all the plastic.
The result? Probably something smelly. But after surveying the trash, they found an alarming amount of plastic bowls and cutlery that were given out to every student, every single day. Over 90% of this plastic waste could have been recycled, but it was thrown into the landfill pile with the trash.
The sort-in-progress shows just how many plastic forks, knives, and spoons ended up in the cafeteria garbage.
Photo Credit: Source
But getting these recyclables into the recycling bin instead of the trash can wasn’t enough for these determined minds.
After getting significant numbers, the students presented their findings to the San Diego school district and pleaded their case for reduced plastic use in their school. And they won. Mission Bay High School became the pilot school for the District’s reduced-waste program.
Photo Credit: Source
The Mission Bay High School team’s initiative will help keep plastic from affecting our precious marine life, like this sea turtle (pictured) that inhaled a plastic fork. Marine debris also affects shorebirds, sharks, and marine mammals.
The student’s commitment to a healthier planet also helped the school get cleaner water for their drinking fountains.
Plastic bottles were a major contributor to Mission Bay High School’s cafeteria trash. Students were regularly bringing in bottled water instead of using drinking fountains due to San Diego’s notoriously poor-quality drinking water. The school was able to purchase a water purifier through a private grant.
Bye bye, plastic bottles. See you never.
Now, lets get the ball rolling at other schools.