It’s the Last Straw! By Hannah Ekhert
According to the Washington Post, there will be more plastic in our ocean than fish by the year 2050.
Disheartening, am I right?
For weeks, I have been trying to identify the best tone for this piece regarding the substantial amount of litter on
the beach. I’ve tried sarcastic, lighthearted, and serious. But, frankly, I’m angry.
If you use the beach (indirectly the ocean) as your personal garbage can, I cannot imagine the type of hovel you
go back to once your little vacay here is over.
I know Mommy picked up after you for the first thirty years of your life, but now that you’re on your own, it’s time
to clean up after yourself.
There has been worldwide environmentally aware education efforts (Greta Thunberg, anybody?) and yet here we
are, every summer, with a staggering amount of litter left on the beach.
From 2014 to 2016, Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers counted and collected trash on the south end between the
13th street and 19th street boardwalks.
By doing so, they were able to determine where and what type of litter is being dropped the most. The top three most
frequently littered items were cigarette butts, plastic straws wrappers, and plastic bottle caps.
In addition, “It should be noted that plastic cutlery is ranked as one of the most harmful marine litter types by the Ocean Conservancy; although
ranked #14 on Tybee’s list. It should be addressed due to potential harm.” (TCBV, Beach Litter Report 2019).
Cigarette butts take years to decompose. They leach toxic chemicals that poison marine life and pollute the ocean. Also, birds mistakenly identify
cigarette butts for food and fatally ingest them or feed them to their babies. Because of the staggering amount of cigarette butts found on the beach
(300,000 counted in the last three years), the City passed a smoking ban between 14th and 16th boardwalks. No smoking signs are at each boardwalk,
and hopefully has minimized the harmful effects of butts on the beach.
The City of Tybee did an incredible thing by passing the No Smoking Ordinance. In one of the last places in the country with permitted indoor
smoking, this is a surprising, yet huge step in the right direction.
So, what’s next?
In the summertime, Tybee Island plays host to female loggerhead sea turtles that nest on our beach. Tybee has
trained volunteers that track the amount of nests we see and they ensure these mamas return back to the ocean
safety. These beautiful creatures are endangered, and we owe it to our marine visitors to protect them and their
babies.
As mentioned above in the TCBV findings, the second most littered items are plastic straws. Most plastic straws
are not recyclable because they are made of propylene. Plastic straws take decades to biodegrade and break down
into tiny pieces of toxic plastic (micro plastic) that turtles and other marine life fatally mistake for nourishment.
We need to implement a city wide ban on plastic straws. This will be a huge challenge because of Tybee’s
abundance of bars and restaurants, but because of our proximity to the ocean, it seems almost criminal not to do so.
Why not paper? Paper straws are a disappointing alternative to plastic. They float in a cup for about three
minutes, become soggy, and therefore useless. By the time a drink is finished, at least two paper straws are needed
to drink it. Consumer’s massive destruction of trees for processed paper is the reason why we switched to plastic
in the first place. If we choose paper, we are regressing and making the same mistakes all over again.
In short, plastic is bad for the ocean because it breaks down into micro plastics that kill marine life. Paper is bad for the land as it reduces forests’
ability to absorb greenhouse gases and release oxygen.
Understandably, there are people, due to disabilities and age, that need to use straws. If you need (or really prefer) to use a straw, bring your own.
Metal straws are growing in popularity and a three pack costs $7.50. They are reusable, reduce waste, and minimize the negative impact humans have
on land and marine life.
If you made it this far, thank you for making it past all the factoids and my opinion. It’s not easy to make conscious lifestyle changes, but with some
effort, Tybee Island’s community can become more aware of the impact we have on our local environment and the marine life that inhabits it. Banning
straws is a simple, effective step in the right direction.
The following is a list of fines for those who choose not to obey some of our beach rules:
• Littering - $300.00
• Glass out and about - $300.00
• Pets on the beach - $300.00
• Disturbing Dune Vegetation - $300.00
• Smoking/Vaping in Prohibited Area - $300.00
Do your part to help protect our ecosystem!
TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | SEPT 2020 27