Most Americans have heard about the large swirling gyres of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean collectively known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, generated by the North Pacific Gyre, which has six times more plastic than plankton and is twice the size of Texas. A similar oceanic phenomenon is occurring in the Atlantic Ocean from the unregulated use of plastics. Around 100 billion fossil fuel-based plastic checkout bags are used each year in the United States, and an alarming 45 million water bottles per day! The Central Gyre in the Atlantic, driven by the Gulf Stream, circulates clockwise and concentrates heavily in the northern Sargasso Sea, a place that is home to numerous spawning fish species. The number of floating plastic pellets found in the Sargasso Sea has been measured in excess of 3,500 parts per square kilometer. “The big issue with plastics is that they never biodegrade,” says Chad Nelsen, Surfrider Foundation’s Environmental Director. “Instead, they photodegrade, meaning that they break down with exposure to the sun’s UV light into smaller and smaller pieces.”
Plastic bags create so many problems, both ecologically and to the public, that they could almost be classified as an invasive species: taking over open spaces and public greenways in the form of unsightly and inescapable litter, assaulting marine and avian species such as osprey, sea turtle, finfish, egrets, and many more, clogging our storm drains, interfering with public infrastructure, and outcompeting many other forms of trash to rank among the top five most abundant debris items collected world-wide during the International Beach Cleanup. Marine animals often mistake plastic bags for food, such as jellyfish. Once eaten, the bags cannot be processed and blocks the digestive system, making it very difficult for animals to get proper nutrition, and can lead to a slow and painful death from starvation or dehydration. To make matters worse, when the creature dies and decomposes, the plastic bags will be re-released into the environment. “It shocks people to learn that virtually every piece of plastic that has ever been made still exists,” says Nelsen.A local activist organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our oceans, waves, and beaches is the Connecticut Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. The Chapter organizes beach cleanups, educates residents about ways to protect water quality by picking up after pets, discontinuing fertilizer use, creating ocean friendly gardens, and reconnects people of all ages to the Long Island Sound and ocean waters through free surf lessons.
In response to the growing plastic problem, Surfrider launched a new worldwide program called Rise Above Plastics (RAP). The goal of RAP is to educate and activate the public on the impact plastics have on marine environments, and how to make changes in their daily lives and within their communities. RAP campaigners around the world are calling on people, governments, and companies to reduce or eliminate the use of specific products such as single-use water bottles and single-use plastic grocery bags, and to recycle them when they are used. “You don’t need to live at the beach to help solve the plastics problem,” Nelsen asserts. “This is something that everyone, everywhere can participate in and make a difference.”
The RAP campaign started in 2007 and already has notable victories such as partnering with Jack Johnson on his latest tour to educate concertgoers. Municipalities that have passed plastic reduction laws because of RAP are San Diego, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach and Malibu, CA. Closer to home, Surfrider was successful in advocating for a ban in the Town of Westport, CT, a historic plastic bag ordinance for the East Coast!
The Surfrider Foundation hopes the Westport ban will be a model for other coastal towns on the East Coast to take steps to get drastic on plastic for the protection of our oceans, beaches and estuaries. Only two months after this ban passed, other towns are considering doing the same and it is anticipated that next session a Plastic Bag Reduction resolution will go before the Connecticut General Assembly. Surfrider is gearing up for the upcoming session, which starts in January, to raise awareness about plastics in Connecticut and encourage residents to contact their elected representatives in the State Senate, House of Representatives, and of course Governor M. Jodi Rell. It’s never too early to let our elected officials know where we stand on important issues.
For more info on RAP or how to get involved in the upcoming General Assembly, visit riseaboveplastics.org and surfrider.org/Connecticut.