What do you think is the most common kind of garbage found on our shores? Pop cans, food wrappers or cigarette butts might come to mind, and while they are in the top 12, the most common kind of garbage found on shorelines in 2017 was tiny plastic and foam pieces.
This was discovered by our friends over at the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC). They teach people across Canada about the problems with shoreline litter and encourage them to get out and start cleaning it up. Over the course of the 1,849 cleanups done in 2017, GCSC volunteers collected more than 88,700 kilograms (195,550 pounds) of garbage. It’s about as heavy as 15 Elephants!
Of all the trash that was collected, tiny pieces of plastic and foam were definitely the most common items, followed closely by cigarette butts. Rounding out the rest of the dirty dozen were plastic bottles, food wrappers, bottle caps, paper materials, plastic bags, miscellaneous packaging, straws, foam materials, pop cans, and rope. Take a look at how many pieces they found:
As an Earth Ranger, you know that tiny trash can be a BIG problem for animals and the planet. If an animal spots one of these tiny plastic or foam pieces, they might mistake it for food and choke. If they do manage to swallow it, these tiny pieces can fill up their stomach, taking away valuable space for actual food, causing the animal to go hungry and even starve.
This isn’t a pretty picture, but don’t worry! There’s something you can do that will make a big difference! You guessed it! Go out and clean a shoreline!
Do your part to help animals and keep our shores (and other habitats) clean by becoming a Shoreline Saver!
Accept your Mission today!
I love animals but I dont like it when they die
that`s so cute
how could peple do this to fish.
i just hate when animals die.
that is so so so sad
animals deserve a better environment to live in!
we use way too many plastic products how many times are you going to use a straw once how long is that straw going to stay on this planet for over 1000 years.
its horrible how much plastic we use
I wish plastic was not garbage.
15,000 plastic bottles goes in to the pacific every second.
I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF POP CANS,CIGARETTES/CIGARETTE BUTTS AND PLASTIC BOTTALES . I AM REALLY SAD THAT ANIMALS ARE DYING BUT I AM HAPPY BEING A EARTH RANGER!
I do not know what it would be like to be a fish with all of that garbage just floating around you.
i really wish that they woud not do this to fish