Coastal Cleanup @ Sembawang Park
“The more we are aware of our surroundings and take responsibility for our actions, the less plastic, waste and harmful debris will end up making its way into our water systems and ultimately into the ocean over the next year and years to come. Don’t we want others to enjoy the ocean, lakes, rivers, streams and other waterways as we have enjoyed them? We can play our part to protect our oceans and the environment in which we live.”
The purpose of our coastal clean-ups is to engage people to remove plastic and non-biodegradable debris from beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of excessive plastic waste, and to change the behaviours that cause water pollution.
We are able to beautify our beaches and coastlines by removing unsightly and non-biodegradable debris. We are also able to help protect birds and marine life by reducing the likelihood that these innocent creatures will become injured or entangled in plastics or ingest deadly debris.
Plastic in the water impacts the world on many levels. Every year, thousands of tons of garbage winds up in oceans, with 60% of that being composed of plastic material. Plastic especially last a very long time in the ocean, and are in such abundance that there are 46,000 individual pieces of plastic litter for every square mile of the ocean. Plastics are very hazardous to marine life, killing more than a million birds and over 100,000 seals, turtle and whales and an immense number of fish in the ocean.
Empowering people to take an active role in the preservation and cleaning up of the ocean are important parts of helping in the conversation of the ocean.
As individuals, we may have various ways we go about reducing plastic waste and lowering our overall environmental footprint. Keeping the ocean clean and free of plastic waste may or may not be part of our routine environmental activities. Even if you have never done anything to clean up your local beaches or rid the ocean of plastic and other debris, now you can by joining our future coastal clean-up events !
Even after the event, you can continue protecting the oceans by adopting these 3 ocean-friendly habits:
Reduce, reuse and recycle any plastic materials you use.
Opt for reusable rather than disposable or “single-use” items.
When you go to coastal areas, be responsible of your waste and make sure you leave behind no trace.
By participating in a coastal clean-up, you will be able to see the impacts of your single use plastics and are more likely to think about the products you use, what you throw away and its implications on the environment.
We would like to thank concerned Regent Secondary School students who were part of our initiative to protect our ocean and its habitants.
We also hope to convince many more students and communities to become better stewards of our environment.
The ocean provides us with so much. It’s important to make sure we are taking care of it, so that it can continue to take care of us.