Contrary to popular belief, the beach isn't your ashtray.

Trash on beach
Originally uploaded by julie_kitty.

As an avid beach goer, you can imagine my disgust when I discovered an AP article titled "Group finds 6 million pounds of trash on world's beaches."

The original article was written by Josef Hebert, but here is my Cliff Notes version:

6 million pounds of GARBAGE was found on 33,000 miles of shoreline worldwide IN ONE DAY, providing a "global snapshot of the ocean trash problem."

On average, the 378,000 volunteers collected 182 pounds of trash for every mile of shoreline in 76 countries, including the U.S. (both ocean coastlines and beaches on inland lakes and streams) and found cigarette butts, food wrappers, abandoned fishing lines and plastic bags... all of which threaten seabirds and marine mammals.

"This is a snapshot of one day, one moment in time, but it serves as a powerful reminder of our carelessness and how our disparate and random actions actually have a collective and global impact," Vikki Spruill, president of the Ocean Conservancy said in an interview.

The most extensive cleanup was in the United States where 190,000 volunteers covered 10,110 miles and picked up 3.9 million pounds of debris on a single Saturday last September, according to the report. That's 390 pounds of trash per mile!!!

"It represents a general carelessness we have. ... We're the bad guys. Trash doesn't fall from the sky. It actually falls from our hands," said Spruill.

A third of the debris found came from smokers.

The volunteers collected and cataloged nearly 2.3 million cigarette butts, filters and cigar tips. And they found 587,827 bags; more than 1.7 million food wrappers, containers, lids, cups, plates and eating utensils; and nearly 1.2 million bottles and beverage cans.

Divers also scoured waters offshore, collecting about 160,000 pounds of debris from cigarette waste and food containers to more threatening items: abandoned fishing lines, plastic bags, rope, fishing nets and abandoned crab and lobster traps.

The International Coastal Cleanup also focused attention on the damage these items can do...

The volunteers came across 81 birds, 63 fish, 49 invertebrates, 30 mammals and 11 reptiles and one amphibian that all had become entangled in various debris including fishing line, rope or plastic bags, balloon ribbons and strings, building material, vehicle tires, wire, and beverage six-pack holders.

What bothers me the most is all out our environmental problems are self-induced. The only reason there was 6 million more pounds of garbage on our world's beaches is because people were TOO LAZY to properly dispose of their trash. This could have EASILY been prevented had those people took the 5 extra steps to the nearest trash can OR carried their garbage home with them.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: BE RESPONSIBLE AND PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF. IF YOU CARRY IN, CARRY OUT... DON'T LEAVE YOUR GARBAGE BEHIND!!!!

This study is further proof that one person does make a difference. Don't ever assume your ONE measely cigarette butt/plastic bag/balloon isn't going to matter if it's left behind. That ignorant train of thought is what contributed to there being over 6 MILLION pounds of trash on our beaches. If you want to reduce pollution, reduce laziness.