So we've all heard that we need to stop using plastic bags, single use plastic items, styrofoam and basically all things that are unfortunately convenient. I get it, I've been trying to use less plastic but by no means am I anywhere near perfect. I wish I could be but little by little, I am getting better. What isn't convenient is that our trash is going into the ocean and the more we use, the more demand there is to keep producing more, and in the end, more will end up in the sea. I think what has been opening my eyes more than anything is actually grabbing bits of plastic from in front of whale sharks. Everyday when we are out on the ocean, we grab bits of plastic out of the sea. We find plastic bags, shredded plastic, labels off bottles, all sorts of stuff. We do our best to collect whatever we swim by and sometimes we end up literally grabbing tiny shreds of plastic from in front of sharks. They don't need to be eating that stuff, it can't be good for the big spotty fish who prefers plankton.
If you haven't yet seen the videos of turtles having straws and forks removed from their faces, I recommend you watch. Google them. They aren't nice smiling videos but thankfully the turtles were okay. They will really make you think twice next time you are offered a straw to drink out of a glass bottle. Just drink out of the bottle, skip the straw. (this happened to me at dinner tonight, thought twice about it and skipped the straw!) Stephanie has also had us thinking more about recycling and has shown me the places you can recycle here in La Paz!
So what's my point, what am I getting to? Every single day in La Paz, I pick up these ridiculous 6 and 8 pack holders off the ground (usually outside convenience stores). I remember them from when I was younger and I remember learning to cut them to make sure they didn't harm any wildlife. I've read that in the US and Canada, they are now required to be photodegradable where they start to degrade in the sun. The ones I've collected in Mexico don't have the marks claiming they are photodegradable (maybe they are, maybe they aren't). What I don't understand is why people can't just cut them up and get rid of them? I really don't notice them in the states anymore nor have I noticed them in any other country as much as I do in Mexico. Everyday, they are all over the streets. The trash bothers me but these frustrate me more than anything else. Google animals in six pack rings. Birds, turtles all sorts of critters. These aren't easy to snap apart and break, you need scissors or to put in some effort to rip them apart. Can a turtle put in that much effort with just his shell? No.
These were all collected in 5 mins this morning.Thanks for reading! If you see any of these laying around the streets of Mexico (or your hometown), pick them up and break them apart. Why should the birds and turtles have to wait for them to degrade if they even degrade at all? and please think twice about whether or not you need that plastic bag, straw or fork.
Just wait until I write about balloons! :)
-Nicole
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