Ever wonder where the plastic on our beaches comes from? Whether something is disposed of in a waste reveptical, blows into a storm drain, or is dumped into the ocean plastic waste can and does find its way into our ocean and environment. A part of the brokenness of our global waste management infrastructure is the fact that the majority of single use plastic waste comes from Western countries (it still counts as our waste even when we send it off to other countries to deal with)! We need to stop producing (big oil), stop buying (corporations), and stop using (everyday choices) single use plastics. We can each do our part through our everyday choices but we must also stand up against corporations and policy makers and fight to turn off the tap on plastic pollution before it is too late! The exponentially growing amount of plastics that are choking out our ocean is the result of broken systems. While much of the marine debris washing onto our shores is from the commercial fishing industry much of it is also from everyday single use and non single use plastics. The amount of tooth brushes, detergent bottles, combs, crates, buckets, shoes, containers, jugs, and drink bottles that wash onto our shores show that our use and consumption of these everyday items in our lives is a part of this issue. While for some there isn’t much of a choice in accessibility and ability to purchase more expensive ecofriendly options, you can still do small things like keeping a pasta jar and using it as a drinking glass. There is so much more to the issue of plastic pollution than I was able to cover in these few sentences but this is an issue that we must continue to raise our voices about and activate on. Aloha🫶🏽
#PlasticPollution #Hawaii #MarineDebris #CleanYoBeach #MalamaYoMama #Oahu #OceanConservation #Sustainability