DON'T TRASH MISSION BEACH

Who would have thought that one would find Contact Lenses, razors, feminine hygiene bags, brushes, combs, deodorant,  toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and cosmetics on the beach? While this doesn't make up a huge amount of overall trash, it is picked up everyday. 

 

Condoms, tampons, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, hair dye, soap, ear plugs, bandaids, diaphragms, dirty diapers, lip balms, cosmetics, toothbrushes, flosses, toothpaste, retainers, aspirins, medical cleansers, hand sanitizers, wet ones . These small items litter the beach to the tune of about 25 per day in one mile of beach. 

 

All are encased in plastic and are easily eaten by animals.

 

The Personal care industry’s is huge. It reportedly creates a 120 billion units of packaging every year, 

Many cosmetics contain tiny plastic fragments, called micro plastics, are showing up in dead larval fish.

Fish eat up blue plastic the most. “About 75% of the ones that we're finding are blue, which is consistent with what researchers are finding in other species,”according to the National Oceanographic Institute.

 

Not So Fun Fact

 

The worst Personal Care product is Sunscreen
14,000 tons of sunscreen  collect in the world’s reefs each year and is the most dangerous. 

oxybenzone and octinoxate, two of the most common sunscreen ingredients that are also toxic for corals

90% of all reefs will be dead by 2050, and sunscreen could play a huge part in that on top of climate change and other stressors.

 

Fun Facts 

The plastic microbeads that the beauty industry added to products for years are collecting in the oceans and killing fish. Microbeads were officially banned from sale in the U.S and other countries. 

 

• Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean but are home to almost 25% of all known marine species!

• Corals are in fact animals, not plants.

• Coral reefs are the largest structures on earth of biological origin.

• Coral reefs also promote better water quality. The plants, animals, and organisms act as a filter, trapping debris that makes the surrounding environment cleaner.