Members of AYLUS Syosset, Manhasset, Dix Hill participated in cleaning the litter found on the Caumsett trail and beach. As we made our way to the beach, we found small amounts of trash along the way. Most of the trash accumulated was picked from the shore. We found mostly plastic straws, bottles, loose caps, floss picks and abandoned fishing equipment. The large metal items and ropes were too heavy to carry and thus were only situated far away from the waves. We walked a total of 15,000 steps and 9 kilometers.
There is an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste estimated to be in our oceans. There is an average of 8.3 million tons of plastic discarded to the oceans each year. Millions of marine and terrestrial organisms are exposed to plastics and can suffocate, experience impaction and starve from the ingestion of excessive plastic. Not only does plastic itself have severe effects on wildlife, but when exposed to water for long periods the oceans can have fluctuations of harmful chemicals that seep out of the plastic. Thus, it is extremely important to be more environmentally conscious about where we dispose of our waste and when possible, clean up after ourselves and each other.
Members who participated include:
Rachel Zhang (4 h), Jessica Albrecht (4 h), Alyssa Huang (4.5 h), Margaret Zhang (4 h), Nicole Zhang (4h), Lynn Zhao (4 h), Sophie Li (4 h), Jocelyn Liu (4 h), Loretta Liu (4 h), Joanna Yang (4 h), Alex (4 h), Li Mink (1 h).
