Environmental groups celebrate World Water Day early to shed light on microplastic pollution

Normally you wouldn’t celebrate when you find 111 pounds of trash, 8 plastic pellets, (sometimes called nurdles) or a bucket’s worth of microplastic and plastic fragments on your favorite beach. But Saturday, that’s exactly what dozens of people in Miami did. And when the trash was all bagged up, they cheered.

By getting that plastic pollution off the beach it’s much less dangerous to marine life. And when you make beautiful Key Biscayne safer and healthier in just one hour – you celebrate! Learning about ways to protect our oceans from this harmful debris is a great way to welcome World Water Day this month. World Water Day was started by the UN to highlight the importance of freshwater and the lack thereof for billions of people around the world. Groups in Miami decided to use this event to highlight the growing concern of microplastics in our water.

Debris Free Oceans, Miami Waterkeeper, Environment Florida Research and Policy Center and the Public Interest Research Group, gathered Miami residents together on Saturday, March 15th, to celebrate World Water Day early and spread the word about the dangers of microplastic, plastic pellets and plastic pollution in general. 

Children and adults used metal sifters to filter the sand, revealing multicolored plastic fragments buried within. While beach cleanups have been happening for decades, microplastic cleanups are a new phenomenon. Some volunteers sifted sand, others filled buckets with cans, bottles, takeout containers, vape pens and loads of other trash that littered the dunes and shoreline at Crandon Park. 

All the buckets were sorted at the end and the microplastics will go to a local artist to be cleaned and turned into artwork used to raise awareness about marine debris. Plastic pellets are not as common to find as other types of microplastics, mainly because they are so hard to see. With sifters the group found eight, which means there’s likely a much higher number of pellets buried in the sand here. These pellets are raw, pre-industrial balls of plastic which are used to make most plastic goods. It is estimated that 10 trillion plastic pellets escape the plastic supply chain every year and end up in our oceans. A plastic pellet hunt last summer off Miami’s coast found pellets, likely spilled from the port where containers of pellets are transported.

The pellets are especially dangerous to birds, fish and turtles because they look like fish eggs or tadpoles, basically “food”. They can make an animal feel full or cause a blockage in their gut. They’ll starve if they eat enough. Microplastics tend to act as sponges, absorbing toxic chemicals like mercury. These pollutants bioaccumulate, meaning they become more toxic as they move up the food chain. If a contaminated fish is consumed by a larger contaminated fish, which we then eat, we’re consuming the doubled impact. This is how the quality of our ocean’s water can directly affect the quality of our own health.

Scientists are studying potential links between microplastics and cardiovascular diseases, like strokes and heart attacks. Likewise, studies are showing a possible correlation between increased amounts of microplastics in our brains and higher risks of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia. 

There is currently no legislation federally or at the state level to ensure plastic pellets don’t escape through the plastic supply chain. It’s up to citizens to raise awareness and take action like these residents did on Saturday. Let World Water Water Day be a reminder that we need to care for our oceans, waterways and estuaries. If you missed this microplastic clean-up, the International Plastic Pellet Count will be happening on May 3rd. You can register to participate here.