No matter how much trash we collect on beaches, marine plastic pollution continues unabated.
It's frustrating.
Maybe, it is a mistake to think we can save the world through cleanups...
We believe that the one way to really make a difference is to stop plastics from entering the ocean in the first place by stopping them at their source - this can only be achieved when plastic producers are made accountable.
As an individual and a consumer, we have the power to demand governments to act and businesses to comply to be part of the solution, a global treaty would have an impact bigger than any beach cleanup, for example, a law banning single-use plastics in Bali, thanks to the effort of Bye Bye Plastic Bags.
We can't tackle all plastic pollution with a beach cleanup, but we still have to clean up the beach because it's the right thing to do.
Beach cleanups are so important for the impact they have in our heads as that which they have on the environment. They educate and implant a seed of environmental consciousness in us on how our daily habits impact the environment.
Besides that, the most valuable part of beach cleanups is the data gathered on identifying patterns of harmful debris, and the items to prevent from entering the oceans or being littered on the beaches. You will definitely think twice whenever using single-use items, after coming back from a beach cleanup.
Clean our beaches to save the ocean.
Clean our beaches to educate and reduce plastic usage in our daily habits.
A shout out to all the amazing people out there that do beach cleanups: thank you for not giving up and preventing tonnes o trash from ending up in our ocean. We definitely hope to witness a future of plastic-free oceans.