Brushing with Beads

A daily ritual that cleans your teeth and keeps your breath fresh could be wreaking havoc on our waterways and ocean. Toothpaste and other products have started popping-up on store shelves containing microbeads, minuscule polyethylene ‘plastic’ beads. These beads are being advertised as exfoliants in skin care products. In the case of toothpaste they are used as an abrasive.

The problem is these plastic microbeads found in toothpaste do not dissolve before, during, or after their use. This can cause serious problems to your health, and our waterways. The health risks are due to the fact that a portion of the microbeads remains within the mouth and can become embedded underneath the gum line. Dentists around the country began to worry that these beads were causing more harm than good. During patient visits, dentists and hygienists found the microbeads stuck in crevices between the teeth and gums. This raised concerns because the beads could trap bacteria in the gums leading to gingivitis, and possibly overtime cause periodontal disease.

These beads are also polluting our waterways. Every time you brush your teeth, these tiny beads go down the drain and travel through sewers to a wastewater treatment plant. Due to their microscopic size, microbeads are far too small to be filtered by wastewater treatment facilities and as a result are discharged into waterways. A report released by the New York Attorney General’s office estimates that the state of New York discharges 19 tons of microbeads into its waterways annually!

This pollution caught the attention of advocacy groups and scientists, who have raised these concerns to elected officials. States, including New Jersey, began to tackle the issue by passing laws regulating microbeads. Federally, New Jersey’s Congressman Frank Pallone introduced the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which prohibits the sale or distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads. This bill quickly passed the House of Representatives, unanimously passed the Senate, and was recently signed into law by President Obama in December 2015!

Although microbeads are banned for the future, products containing microbeads will remain on the shelf until 2017. Until then it is up to you to be a conscious shopper. Read the ingredients list on the box carefully, if you see polyethylene or polypropylene on the list of ingredients it means that product contains microbeads. Luckily, there are plenty of other natural alternatives to keep your breath fresh, your teeth white, and your waterways healthy. Happy brushing! 

Bloomberg LP – Dives into data and so much more

Individuals give back to their community in their own unique ways. For example, COA supporters prefer to volunteer by cleaning up their local beach. Others want to use their expertise and skills to give back to an organization.

In 2011, a team of volunteers from Bloomberg LP first participated in COA’s Corporate Beach Sweeps program. They were inspired by data that had resulted and expanded their unique relationship with COA, taking it from the beach to the office, to explore the data from the Beach Sweeps Program. As you may know, every Beach Sweeper becomes a ‘citizen scientist’ as they record each piece of debris collected on our data cards. The data collection turns a one-day event into a legacy of information that can be used to identify sources of pollution and monitor trends. This research helps COA discover solutions to keep beaches clean and healthy, create federal, state, and local programs to reduce litter in the environment, and protect the public and marine life. Today, COA has over 20+ years of this carefully tracked information. But what does it really say? Has marine debris in New Jersey changed over time?

In the spring of 2014, Bloomberg LP partnered with COA to thoroughly analyze the Beach Sweeps’ data set. This analysis will be the first of its kind in Beach Sweeps history. The goal is to more accurately monitor trends throughout the years and eventually link those trends with various legislation from the past, present, and future, as well as to trach consumerism, weather, and industry changes. In addition to this analysis, the Bloomberg LP team has been working on an innovative technological approach to data management for the Beach Sweeps program. They do so voluntarily, dedicating hundreds of hours.

An overview of the goals of the partnership was released at the Debris Free Sea Conference in November (please check COA’s website to view the presentation), and a more detailed analysis will be ready for the public in 2016.

COA salutes the Bloomberg team for all the volunteer hours and for their dedication.  It is a pleasure working with the dynamic team. They have accomplished a great deal and we look forward to what the future holds for our partnership. COA is also grateful to Bloomberg LP for generously matching their employees’ hard work through their “Dollars for Your Hours” program. 

Waves of Thanks for a Successful 30th Fall Beach Sweeps

On Saturday, October 24th, close to 3,000 volunteers hit the beaches to participate in Clean Ocean Action's 30th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps at over 65 sites from Essex County to Cape May County. Volunteers removed and catalogued each piece of debris, helping to document ongoing pollution issues. Robust crowds were reported up and down the coast. Many volunteers came as teams from local businesses, corporate and grassroots organizations, school and church groups, and families, all with personal ties to the Shore and some with decades of Sweeps participation.

Special thanks to the Beach Captains who helped make this event so successful. Beach Captains, lead volunteers who direct the entire group of participants at each Beach Sweeps location, are essential to the program’s success. They are the heart and soul of Beach Sweeps. These dedicated volunteers coordinate and manage all of the volunteers on the day of the event, answer questions from the volunteers about ocean pollution and serve as COA representatives.

On Sandy Hook alone, Beach Sweep volunteers picked up: 5,846 plastic pieces, 5,324 food/candy wrappers, 4,785 caps/lids, 2,206 straws/stirrers, 1,879 cigarette filters, and 1,047 plastic beverage/soda bottles.

The next Beach Sweeps will be on Saturday, April 30^th. In the meantime, join us at the Debris Free Sea Conference on November 11, 2015. 

Just Say No Litter-ally!

Look around you. Do you spot any plastic? We are surrounded by plastic, from plastic water bottles to plastic toys. It is hard to go a day without using something made out of plastic. What was once a breakthrough invention has now become a problem, both a big and microscopic.

A study done by 5 Gyres in December found that the ocean contains over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic! This includes microplastics, pieces of plastic that are less than half a centimeter. This tremendous amount of plastic is polluting our environment, our waterways, and potential harming our health.

In a world littered and addicted to plastic, what do you do? It may seem over whelming, but there are plenty of ways to break this plastic addiction. Just like there is tons of plastic, there is lots of alternatives! We have gotten caught up in this use once and toss society, it is time to choose to reuse.

Here are a few items to help rid you of plastic addiction:

Water bottles. Did you know it takes three times the water to make the bottle as it does to fill it? The water bottle has become the staple item to use once and discard. A reusable water bottle, whether glass or aluminum, will help reduce plastic pollution, while also saving water and fossil fuels.

Plastic bags. Countries and states are putting in place plastic bag bans or fees to help reduce the amount of plastic bags used. This is for good reason since around 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year! These bags may seem convenient, but they are becoming dangerous to our environment, especially to animals and marine life. The alternatives are endless, from canvas bags to a bag once made out of plastic water bottles. There are big bags for grocery shopping or mini-bags to keep in your purse or pocket for a trip to the store.

Straws. In 2014 during our Spring & Fall Beach Sweeps, 18,372 straws and stirrers were picked up! A disposable straw on average is said to be used for a mere twenty minutes, while those coffee stirrers are used for a just a few seconds. Restaurants are starting to tackle this issue by issuing request only straw policies. When you dine out remember to ask your server to hold the straw. Also there are also plenty of reusable options for at home or at work including glass, stainless steel, and bamboo. Carry it with you to use.

Beauty. We all have heard the saying ‘it hurts to be beautiful’, however some beauty regimes are now inflicting pain on the planet. Microbeads, the tiny plastic beads found in face washes, body scrubs, and tooth paste, are ending up in our waterways. States, including New Jersey, are banning the use of microbeads. On a federal level, Congressman Pallone from New Jersey’s 6^th congressional district, introduced legislation, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2014, in June of 2014, that would ban the use of these microbeads.. In 2015, Congressman Pallone, along with Congressman Fred Upton, reaffirmed his belief is this topic by introducing the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015.

While although the NJ microbead ban is a step in the right direction, it contains a loophole that would allow the personal care industry to incorporate "biodegradable" plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA).  PLA is able to disintegrate, however, only within municipal composting facilities in high heat environments. Microbeads are too tiny to be filtered within wastewater treatment plants so they'll still end up in our waterways and won't biodegrade since our waters don’t meet the heat requirements needed to degrade. It’s important for the public to understand the whole story and know how to properly advocate for such legislation.

In addition to legislation, companies are also banning the use of microbeads, such as Johnson & Johnson and Unilever. However, there are other companies, such as Aveda, who have never incorporated microbeads into their products. Longtime supporters of Clean Ocean Action, Aveda has continued to understand and support clean water initiatives.

These beads may ‘exfoliate’ your skin, but they are wreaking havoc in our waters. If you want to avoid using such products on your skin, look for polyethylene and polypropylene under the ingredients list. There are also plenty of other alternatives including DIY salt scrubs and body washes.

Clean Ocean Action works tirelessly to protect our ocean and marine life from plastic debris. We recently launched the first microplastics research study in New Jersey to document the scope and magnitude of microplastics on New Jersey beaches, waterways, coastline, and in marine life. Even with the Beach Sweeps and microplastics research it is still up to you to reduce your plastic pollution footprint! For more information please visit our website cleanoceanaction.org

Make a BIG Splash for a Small Problem!

Help Fund COA’s Microplastic Study

Only two weeks left to help COA receive a grant from the Ocean First Foundation! COA is currently participating in a “Charity Challenge” on Crowdrise with over 60 other organization who are competing for a $15,000 grant. Show your support for our organization by making a donation of any size. Every penny raised on our page will be directed toward COA’s independent research study on microplastics.

As you may know, our staff has been working with NOAA and undergoing the largest independent study on microplastics. So far, we have documented their presence from samples of our coastal waterways and beaches. This study is not currently funded by any grant and needs your support to continue our research and analysis of the samples. Please make a contribution on our Crowdrise page, also found on our website homepage, or call the office for more information.

What can you do about microplastics?

There are two sources of microplastics: 

1) The breakdown of larger pieces and

2) manufactured products.

By reducing the amount of plastic you use you reduce the amount of plastic in the environment, which if not recycled can end-up in the environment and break down into microplastics. 

Be a conscious consumer by purchasing tooth paste and facial or body scrub that is free of microbeads. These beads do not get filtered through wastewater systems and aend-up in our waterways.

Check out our microplastics research agenda.

2014 Beach Sweep Dirty Dozen – Top 12 items found

For thirty years, Clean Ocean Action (COA) has been scouring the beaches of New Jersey for marine debris, which then gets compiled into annual reports showing the type and amount of debris collected. Last year nearly 7,000 volunteers took to the beaches and bays collecting and recording what they found. The findings are compiled in the 2014 Beach Sweeps Annual Report, highlighting the Dirty Dozen, Roster of the Ridiculous, and the totals for over 90 items of marine debris collected by volunteers last year. Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps started at Sandy Hook in 1985 with 75 volunteers and has become New Jersey’s largest environmental event, with thousands of citizens search and clean nearly the entire coastline and bay beaches.

In 2014, close to 7,000 volunteers collected, tallied, and removed over 315,000 pieces of debris from New Jersey’s shoreline during Clean Ocean Action’s 29th Annual Beach Sweeps. The majority of the debris removed was disposable plastics. Plastic, including foam, represents 76.9% of the total waste found. The evidence is clear: disposable plastic items continue to litter beaches, threaten marine life, and impact water quality.  

Dirty Dozen – Top 12 Items Found:

1. Plastic Pieces – 40,880 
   
2. Cigarette Filters – 30,241
3. Plastic Caps/Lids – 29,804
4. Food Candy Wrappers/Bag – 27,381
5. Straws/Stirrers – 18,372
6. Foam Pieces – 13,050
7. Glass Pieces – 12,703
8. Plastic Beverages/Soda Bottles – 11,775
9. Lumber Pieces – 9,235
10. Plastic Store/Shopping Bags – 8,037
11. Cigar Tips – 6,366
12. Paper Pieces – 5,560

Pollution continues to flow in from many land point and non-point sources in the New York City and New Jersey metropolitan area. Over the past four years, small plastic pieces have consistently placed in the top two types of items found during Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Sweeps. In 2014, plastic pieces ranked number one.

Always remember REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE! Reusable bottles, straws, and shopping bags would greatly reduce the amount of plastic we use. Always refuse or reuse when you can, but if that is not an option always recycle!

Don’t forget to join us for the 30th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps Saturday April 25^th from 9 AM to 12:30 PM at over 70 locations around New Jersey. Visit www.cleanoceanaction.org for more information and how to register!