This week is “Clean Beaches Week” and the Clean Beaches Coalition is urging beachgoers up and down the Lake Erie coast to leave no trace of litter.
The coalition said July Fourth is the biggest beach visitation day in the nation, but it’s also when the most litter is left. That’s why local groups are pushing folks to step up and help make a difference here in Northeast Ohio.
Across the Great Lakes, volunteers with the Alliance for the Great Lakes have helped clear nearly half a million pounds of litter.
“Twenty-two million pounds of plastics, specifically, are entering the Great Lakes each year,” said Juliann Krupa with the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
The waste is filling the water, posing a risk to the environment and us.
“One of the main reasons that the Great Lakes are different than our oceans is that they supply drinking water to so many people that live throughout the Great Lakes region,” Krupa said. “Getting the word out about this issue of plastic pollution is really important to make sure people are understanding the possible effects on our drinking water source.”
That pollution, Krupa says, is threatening the health of so many.
“Getting the word out about this issue of plastic pollution is really important to make sure people are understanding the possible effects on our drinking water source,” Krupa said.
And it’s not just humans that are affected.
“It also poses a health risk to too many of the 1,500 different species of animals that live in the Great Lakes region,” Krupa said. “It also costs a lot of money for municipalities to clean up litter from our coastlines in the long term.”
While plastic makes up 87% of material litter plaguing the Great Lakes, food, tiny trash and smoking materials make up 97 percent of litter types found throughout.
That’s where Adopt a Beach comes in. The program, run by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, brings out 15,000 volunteers a year to join the front lines in keeping litter off the Great Lakes.
Those wanting to help are even encouraged to organize their own beach cleanups.
“if you're going to be on the beach this week with your family and friends, you can organize a cleanup just within your group and register that on the site as well,” Krupa said.
For more information on how to get involved with Adopt a Beach, and to learn more about the litter impacting the Great Lakes head to adopt.greatlakes.org.
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