LET’S TALK TRASH!
Each year many hundreds of thousands (some say millions) of sea birds, sea turtles,
fish and marine mammals are injured or die from marine debris and pollution.
Trash on our streets and beaches becomes treacherous in our waters.
You can help people understand the dangers of littering and save animals’ lives!
HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
• Glass bottle: one million years (if dinosaurs littered a bottle, it would still be here!)
• Styrofoam cup: up to one million years (dissolves into tiny particles of dangerous chemicals)
• Fishing line: 600 years (line and plastic packing bands strangle animals and sever limbs)
• Plastic beverage bottle: 450 - 1000 years (dissolves into minute toxic particles)
• Disposable diapers: 450 years
• Aluminum can: 80 - 200 years
• Plastic bag: 500 - 1000 years (breaks down into minute toxic particles)
• Cigarette butt: 2 - 10 years (toxic chemicals leach into ecosystem - it is estimated that
trillions of butts are discarded into environment each year)
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
• Don’t litter!
• Pick up litter at the beach, river and parks (use gloves and don’t pick up sharp objects)
• Organize a beach cleanup with your friends or class!
• Educate your friends, classmates and parents about pollution
• Ask your teacher about creating a class or art project about marine pollution
• Carry your lunch in a re-use bag
• Ask your parents to use recycled grocery bags
• Take the Spud Seal Ambassador Pledge to protect the marine environment
(included in this packet)
4 7 0 1 A d m i r a l Wa y S W # 1 6 7 S e a t t l e , WA 9 8 11 6 • 2 0 6 - 9 0 5 - 7 3 2 5 ( S E A L ) • e m a i l : s e a l s i t t e r s @ m e . c o m • w w w. s e a l s i t t e r s . o r g
c h e c k w w w. b l u b b e r b l o g . o r g f o r w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g o n t h e b e a c h