Eighty thousand tons of trash are floating on the ocean between Hawai and California. According to the “Scientific Reports” the sea of plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean is three times the size of France. The seventh continent is the name given to the biggest discharges of waste in the world.
Plastic is the most common element found in the ocean today, and over 100, 000 marine animals die every year from plastic entanglement and ingestion.
The international Coastal Cleanup began more than 30 years ago and was initiated by two committed individuals from Texas. It aims to collect and document the amount of trash littering the coastlines.
On September 15, volunteers from more than 100 countries had participated in this project.
The Israeli volunteers joined their forces during the weekend in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Herzeliya, Aviel, Netanya and Hadeha.
According to Plastic free Israel, an Israeli non-profit organization, everyone can be an actor of the solution. The first initiative is to reduce waste by replacing single use plastic items with new alternatives, like biodegradable straws that made their entry on the Horeca market. The second one is to pick up trashes along the coastlines, thereby tackling Ocean pollution.
The EU Delegation was part of the mission on Friday 14 September in Israel for the annual Eu Beach Cleanup at Jaffa’s Midron Beach. The delegation supplied the volunteers with T shirts, towels, fruit and shade to facilitate their hard work.
Bearing in mind the magnitude of the problem, the cleanup weekend is indeed one small step but every long journey begin with one little step and hopefully it will lead to a big change for the benefit of the world and mankind”.