Texas Beach Cleanups
Are you passionate about ocean life? Do you love the beach? Then beach cleanups might be for you. Texas is home to many great beaches, from South Padre all the way to Galveston, every gulf deserves to be properly cared for. Not only do gulf cleanups help marine life but they also prevent humans from obtaining disease and illness. Having a clean beach is one step closer to a cleaner planet!
How harmful are dirty beaches?
According to Statista, cigarette butts, plastic bottle caps, and food wrappers are the top three waste items along beaches in 2023. These are just a few of many items that end up on beaches and flow back into the ocean. As stated in The Environmentor, cigarette butts are the most littered item on our planet. Though they may be small, they can pollute up to 8 liters of water for just one cigarette. Imagine how many liters of water you could save from getting toxically contaminated just by picking up a few littered cigs! A Reefcause conservation article explains how plastic can get intertwined around necks, beaks, wings, fins, etc. This prevents animals from fully being able to move, causing difficulty catching food leading to starvation. Beach pollution is a silent killer, even the smallest of plastics, and slight amounts of toxins can cause immense damage.
Dirty beaches are not just affecting marine life, but they affect humans, too! A study conducted by NRDC shows that bacteria, fertilizers and other contaminants can increase the health risks of beachgoers. These illnesses can range from just an upset stomach, all the way to neurological and respiratory diseases. Sometimes humans don’t need to come in contact with water, a contaminated beach is enough to cause some sort of sickness.
Benefits of a beach cleanup
The purpose of a beach cleanup is to raise awareness on the impact of plastic and other pollutants, while helping create a safer environment. Beach cleanups are crucial to human and marine life due to how much trash and toxins continue to pile onto our beaches. Reefcause conservation states how getting people involved in beach cleanups help us understand plastic pollution on a more personal level. We are able to experience the harm humans have done and are able to make a difference from looking at the problem face to face. This helps us implement conservation tactics into our daily lives.
How can you help?
Texas has a wide range of beaches, here is what you can do to help and get involved!
Conservation organization Adopt-A-Beach, hosts different types of cleanups around the gulf coast year round. You can volunteer for regularly scheduled cleanups, or attend special events at different locations. You can also contribute by donating or purchasing a specialty license plate, which proceeds go to their volunteer programs. What’s great about this organization is you really can adopt a beach! Adopters are committed to clean a certain area of the Texas coast for a minimum of three times a year for two years.
Another way to get involved is through the Turtle Island Restoration Network. This organization is local to Galveston, Texas as well as Olema, California and hosts smaller cleanup events. They are a team devoted to restoring and conserving endangered sea turtle species. These beach cleanups are held Monday through Friday with some weekends. This organization has several programs you can volunteer for, all which strive to create a safer environment for everyone.
Edited by: Antonio
