THIS SUMMER as more tourists are destined to find their way to beaches, vacationers both domestic and foreign must be reminded to keep the coastlines clean. Do not to trash these favorite summer destinations.
The more the tourists, the more the trash – this is the usual equation. Wading in seawater to beat the summer heat in merriment tend to end up messy in many beaches. This has to stop.
Heed the outdoorsmen’s adage: “Leave nothing but footprints.”
Beach litter is not only an eyesore, it pollutes the environment and kills marine life that get entangled in trash or when they mistake rubbish for food. According to the Ocean Conservancy data, in 2013 during the clean-up of some 13,000 miles of coastlines in 92 countries, more than 12.3 million pounds of trash, from cigarette butts to plastic bags, from food wrappers to beverage bottles, to anything you can imagine, including an air-conditioner and a couch, were recovered.
Here are some tips to guide everyone in making the beaches trash-free:
* 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 buying baon, do so in bulk and choose items in reusable or recyclable containers. Avoid buying in plastic sachets and so-called tipid packs.
* 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.
* Bring trash bags for carrying back home segregated discards for later recovery, recycling and composting.
* 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.
Yes, courteously remind others not to litter on the beach, too. It would help a lot to do a mini clean-up of your area, picking even the garbage not of your making so others may at least blush seeing their trash cleaned by others. People may notice you and follow suit.
