You can help!


Why should we care?

Since tourism has come to the islands the amount of rubbish and waste has increased tremendously. Remember, we were all tourists at one point and with us came all the garbage.

Cigarette Butts on a beach are unsightly and they can actually take 1-5 years to decompose, meaning they'll be around for awhile not only to effect us, but also possibly for marine and bird life to ingest.
Other items such as food wrappers/containers, straws, caps, packaging and other human discards can affect wildlife when they are accidentally ingested, or fed by parents (such as sea birds) to their young. Balloons and Garbage Bags have been known to be eaten by whales and sea turtles, where they can clog the animal's digestive tracts, making it impossible for them to eat normally and they starve to death.
Fishing line, nets and rope can entangle marine life.

What can we do?

While debris changes a bit throughout the year, it looks like the biggest problems come from picnickers, smokers and recreational or commercial fishers. If you're picnicking at a beach or on a boat, make sure you keep control of your trash and don't let it blow around. It's not fun to have to pick up after others, but try to pick up a few pieces of trash that others have left behind, resulting in a cleaner area for all of us. Maybe someone will see you and get the hint!
If you know smokers, try to educate them on the amount of cigarette butts that are around and how long it takes butts to biodegrade. If every smoker threw one less butt on the ground every day, our beaches and sidewalks would be a lot cleaner!
If you fish or boat, be careful with your lines and make sure that if you cut a line, you bring it in with you. Monofilament line can take 600 years to disintegrate!

How Can I Help?

Beach cleanups are a great way to get involved in protecting the marine environment, and a great way to get exercise! It's a great way for kids to learn, too!
We urge you to take a bag with you whenever you go to a beach, and pick up whatever trash you find.

Finally, tourists should share the responsibility of caring for the environment. As the saying goes:
"Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time." So don't leave your garbage anywhere.

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The impact of "small garbage" on the marine environment

A human population explosion since the second world war coupled with the associated rise in waste produced has resulted in our oceans becoming a dumping site. This has had a severe and increasingly damaging effect on the marine environment and the diverse array of organisms which inhabit it.

Increasing environmental awareness and global responsibility have become key political issues especially since the 1992 Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro. Environmental pressure groups, both locally and internationally, have successfully raised the awareness of the public as a whole and there is a general feeling that the public wishes for a cleaner and safer environment both for our children and the other creatures with whom we share this planet. It is therefore vitally important that the results of scientific research and investigation should be made widely available so that this knowledge can be shared by the eager public who can, in turn, put the knowledge into practice with great effect.

Pollution by small garbage

Small garbage can be viewed as any solid material which in its present state or by degrading into another state results in a deleterious effect on the marine environment. It is mostly therefore associated with the activities of humans.

The sources vary from rubbish discarded by individual beach users; ocean dumping by ships; wreckage of ships, high waves removing large amounts of street rubbish from sea fronts, garbage lost or deliberately dumped by the fishing industry, the navy, and the beach side restaurants and hotels.

Of the garbage produced by the fishing industry, monofilament netting made of artificial fibres is the most dangerous. Fishing fleets often carry hundreds of miles of this netting which is cheap to produce, and once snagged it is often cut and dumped at sea rather than untangled. Trawl floats, ropes and other associated wastes are also found in significant levels.

Of domestic waste the list is seemingly endless. Metals, glass, fibres and plastics are all now part of our marine environment. Of these, plastics are the most deadly as they are light weight, very strong and durable, very cheap to produce and most importantly widely available. They are water and microorganism resistant which means the breakdown is extremely slow.

Plastics have essentially two effects. Firstly there is a physical effect. Monofilament netting is invisible in the water and entanglement in discarded fishing nets is estimated to account for the loss of 50,000 North Pacific Fur Seals annually, some ten times more than those killed by hunters. Due to the wide range of plastic shapes, sizes and colours, species are apt to mistake these items for food. A transparent plastic bag looks very similar to jellyfish (the favorite food of many sea turtles), resulting in either the blockage of the digestive tract or suffocation of the turtle, once the bag has been ingested. Plastics also contain air bubbles preventing turtles from diving for their food. It has been discovered that one marine mammal had 50 bags in its stomach suggests that hatchling turtles congregate around drifting debris for shelter and food supplies. This debris used to consist of natural organic waste, but now is dominated by floating plastics. Being inexperienced feeders these turtles ingest the plastics and although their appetite feels satisfied, in reality they are starving to death. Sea mammals, being playful creatures, often entangle themselves in the plastic loops of six pack holders. As the animal grows the plastic tightens strangling the animal. Although seen as pests by many people, Gulls are often the most affected. Hereditory behavior dictates that shiny objects are appealing. Fifty out of 250 species of seabirds are known to ingest plastics, mostly plastic beads. These small objects accumulate in the food chain.

The second effect is that of chemical poisoning. Plastics take many years to decompose and if they are in restricted light areas, such as the ocean, this process takes considerably longer. Plastics contain significant quantities of PCB's (Polychlorinated biphenyls) and these can be released during the breakdown of the plastics. It has been established that the levels of PCB's in sea birds was positively correlated with the amount of ingested plastics.

PCB's in the body are known to have adverse effects on metabolic processes including the suppression of the immune system, reproductive failure and even death. Recent surveys have resulted in the following alarming readings: In Loggerhead turtle eggs an estimated average of 0.032 - 0.201 mg/g of PCB was found, while an adult Leatherback turtle had a contaminant concentration of 1.2 mg/g of PCB.

What can be done?

Marine garbage litter is a cultural problem and has to be dealt with through education, legislation and law enforcement and a change in the production methods for plastics. Public education can result in a number of successful outcomes. Recycling has already proved to be a success, so if recycling bins are placed on beaches, it is likely that a vast majority of litter would be recycled. The cost of commercially clearing litter is massive so regular voluntary beach clearing exercises would deal with localised problems. Obviously nothing can be done about litter scattered across the open sea, so it is vital that when it reaches the shore it is collected.

Attempts should be made to discourage unnecessary use of plastic products in favor of biodegradable and recycled products such us cardboard and glass. At the moment it is up to the individuals' conscience to obey the law, so more government initiatives are needed.

Marine small garbage pollution is a massive worldwide problem. Obviously little can be done about the past, but there is now an opportunity for us all to have a radical reappraisal of our garbage problem. Even small changes to our attitudes and habits can improve our environment for future generations.