Disposable plastic water bottles

Unfortunately, many people use disposable plastic water bottles even though they are really harmful to our environment, not just our ocean waters. Plastic bottles are among the top five most common items found during the beach clean-ups.

“Today, 500 billion plastic bottles are used around the globe annually, one million single-use plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world yet only around 30 percent are recycled,” Ives explains.

Instead, you can opt for reusable water bottles, if you want to save money and protect the oceans. 

Not getting rid of COVID-19 waste properly

In some cases, the measures we take to protect ourselves from the coronavirus disease can adversely affect the oceans, especially the marine creatures, if you don’t get rid of them properly and responsible. Unfortunately, there are a lot of latex gloves and face masks on the ground that could end up in the ocean waters. So, you should get rid of them in a responsible and safe way.

“For example, a washable cloth face mask is more environmentally friendly than a disposable one, and reusable utensils are safe when washed appropriately,” Ives says. “With a chance of more pandemics in the future now is the time to reconsider how we protect ourselves and the environment.”