Science Forward

This year, I spent my Halloween in a very interesting way.  How did I spend my Halloween, you ask? Why, I spent it doing plastics data collection at Plumb Beach! On Friday, October 31st, a few of my classmates and I went to Plumb Beach with our professor to collect plastic that washed up on the shore. We categorized each piece of plastic that was picked up, recorded how many fell into each category, and recorded a recycling number, if present.  Seeing all of the things that washed up on the beach was absolutely astounding and to be honest, quite disheartening.  We found an array of plastic bottles/containers, cigarette butts and lighters, children’s toys, candy wrappers, straws, and unidentifiable pieces of plastic.  In fact, there was even one very large piece of plastic that seemed to belong to some sort of kitchen appliance.  Every where we looked there to seemed to be a piece of plastic or some other form of garbage on the beach, and my group only covered a twenty meter area! Perhaps, the worst part about this situation is that even though we picked up a lot of plastic and trash that day, twice the amount we picked up probably washes up on the shore in a matter of days.  One of the most interesting aspects of the trip, however, was what I found while I was leaving.  While Anna and I were walking along the beach to get to the B44 bus, we saw what looked like a pet carrier.  Upon closer inspection, we noticed that something placed in a black garbage bag was put inside the carrier. It turns out, we had actually stumbled upon what looked like a beloved pet’s burial.  Although how the carrier got there is questionable, the fact that something like that could be found on the beach is incredible! This just goes to show how far out the things that wash up on the beach can be.  Also, the carrying case looked like it was made out of plastic!