Since 2019, Go Green Wilmette has sponsored multiple beach cleanups each summer. On Saturday mornings, residents from Wilmette and beyond don reusable gloves and use reusable buckets to pick up the trash the waves have brought in: cigarette butts, shotgun shell casings, straws, wrappers, bottle caps and the much-hated tiny plastic nurdles (escaped virgin plastic that was supposed be molded into the plastic items we use daily). Since the program’s inception, over 250 individuals have helped us clean pollution off of our beloved lake’s beaches. This work is important, because annually 11 million pounds of trash end up in Lake Michigan. This trash threatens the fish in the lake, the birds that use the shores to lay their eggs, our pets on dog beaches and, of course, human health. It is important to note that while our individual actions do matter, each wave off the lake will bring in more trash. In other words, beach cleanups are necessary, but not sufficient to solve the plastic pollution problem. What is? Legislation changes, consumer choice and sharing scientifically-backed information about plastic.
Check out these local and world-wide cleanup organizations for more inspiration!
4ocean (https://4ocean.com/)
Alliance for the Great Lakes (https://greatlakes.org/)
5 Minute Beach Cleanup (http://www.
Ocean Conservancy (https://oceanconservancy.org/
For details on upcoming beach clean up dates, see our calendar.
**Tags: beach cleanups, micro plastic
