DURING the summer vacation many local and foreign tourists flock the beaches, and we’re not talking about Boracay Island alone but many other summer beach destinations.
Here’s one observation: beating the summer heat in fun and merriment tend to end up messy in many beaches. The more the tourists, the more the trash. Beach litter is not only an eyesore, it pollutes the environment and kills marine life by getting entangled in trash or when they mistake rubbish for food.
This summer, as more tourists are destined to find their ways to the beaches, we ask vacationers and even the locals who live along beaches to keep the coastlines clean. There are practical tips worth sharing. Plan ahead before heading to the beach. Make a checklist of what you need to bring, avoiding those that easily end up as trash. When you purchase your baon, buy in bulk and choose items in reusable or recyclable containers. Make it a point to avoid single-use and disposable products and packaging, such as plastic bags, polystyrene packaging, disposable plastic cups and tableware, paper plates, plastic straws, disposable tissue papers and napkins, and the like. Use reusable ones instead, such as bayong and cloth bag, reusable plates, cups, forks and spoons.
It would be good for your health and the environment to avoid junk foods. Cook healthy and real food. Peanuts, real corn, homemade camote and potato chips are a lot better munchies than pre-packaged junk foods.
Be sure to bring with you trash bags for carrying back home segregated discards for later recovery, recycling and composting. Bring pail or similar containers suitable for wet goods. This will prove handy when buying fish or seafood for cooking in the beach or as pasalubong.
Don’t toss cigarette butts anywhere on the beach, rather, bring it back home in separate container for proper management. Better still, quit smoking. You have not only dealt with the cigarette butt trash, but also with the health and environmental issues associated with smoking.
Ah yes, courteously remind others not to litter on the beach as the act can harm the environment, marine life and human health. And before leaving the beach, heed the outdoorsmen’s adage to “leave nothing but footprints.”
Now, off to the beach!
