Successful cleanup at Heinz Refuge

October 9, 2017

Thanks to all who came out recently to help clean up the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge! One group worked the tidal marsh by kayak, and another worked to remove trash on land along the Delaware River in the park. Fourteen Sierra Club volunteers and three Fish and Wildlife staff picked up 440 pounds of trash in the rain! Congratulations to all for helping to reduce human impacts on the oceans, bays, and rivers.  This is very meaningful work, as NOAA recognizes marine debris as a major global concern, especially plastics. stream clean

Our streets, beaches and waterways are polluted with single-use plastic containers, straws, drink bottles, bags and cigarette butts. What we can’t see are the serious consequences of that plastic once it degrades into trillions of tiny pieces.  First coined "microplastics" in 2004 to describe particles under 5mm in length, many are the result of larger pieces of plastic that break down through exposure to sunlight and waves. However, other sources of tiny plastic pieces are being added to the environment at alarming rates.  Newer sources include microbeads in soaps, toothpaste and personal care products. Artificial fleece and polyester fabrics that replaced natural wool and cotton fabrics also shed thousands of plastic microscopic fibers into wastewater. Microplastic pollution is now so widespread that it is recognized as a serious global environmental issue. Increasing scientific research indicates that marine debris enters the food web because it is mistaken as food. It then ends up in our food though little is known about the impact of this on human health. This is not just a problem for fish. Marine mammals, birds, and turtles are also threatened by this waste.

Ingestion of plastics is not the only threat to wildlife. Entanglement is the other big problem, which is just as deadly. Animals trapped entangled in plastic can drown, starve, or suffocate. The biggest threats include:

  • Nets, ropes, lines from fishing gear
  • 6-pack rings
  • packing strings, etc.
  • abandoned fishing lines, fishing nets, traps
  • affects seabirds, sea turtles, whales, seals, sea lions, coral, sea urchins, other animals

What you can do:

  • Re-use something that would have been trashed, or repurpose.
  • Do not overfill trash receptacles
  • Pick up trash whenever you can
  • Support businesses that avoid single-use items (e.g., dried spaghetti rather than plastic coffee stirrers
  • Talk to others!  Tell stories, tell family and friends about what you’ve learned, how to prevent debris.
  • Storm water stenciling (“Dump No Waste”, “Drains to Stream”)
  • Municipal drain catchment devices/screens can catch all but the smallest pieces of plastic.
  • Support government action to regulate and prevent marine dumping, e.g, MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

 

By Carol Armstrong