…the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches, for all people…. Mission

Programs Rise Above Plastics Mission: To reduce the impacts of plastics in the marine environment by raising awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the recycling of all plastics.

“THROWAWAY LIVING” 1955 Plastics: What, Why, Where

What’s Made of Plastic?

INDIA 4.4 LBS (2 kg) EUROPE 132 LBS (60 kg) U.S. 176 LBS (80 kg) Annual Plastic Use per Person

Bioplastics are not the answer. Require INDUSTRIAL COMPOSTING to biodegrade (140° and fed microbes) Cannot contaminate ‘regular’ plastics recycling if mixed in “Renewable source material;” but often genetically- modified and shipped long distances. Do not biodegrade in water or when littered, acts like ‘regular’ plastics and photodegrades. BIODEGRADEABLE PLASTICS

THERE IS NO ‘AWAY’, it all goes somewhere.

(California Integrated Waste Management Board, “Plastics White Paper” Landfill 50% Recycled Durable Goods 20% Unaccounted for 25% Where does our plastic go?

The “missing” 25%

Rick Loomis Los Angeles Times Los Angeles River

2012 Coastal Cleanup Day 561k volunteers collected 10+ million lbs. of litter over 17k+ miles of coastline worldwide. The top 7 items are typically made of plastic.

Plastics at Sea

5 Gyres: Where Plastic Accumulates

Thousands of marine mammals and sea birds die every year after ingesting or being tangled in plastic marine litter.

All of this debris on the right (more than a half- pound of plastic) was removed from the stomach of an albatross on remote Midway Island in Hawaii

Plastic particles attract chemicals in the ocean This pellet could have up to 1 million times the chemical concentration than the water around it

Scripps Institute estimates that fish off the West Coast of The United States ingest 12,000 TONS of plastic per year. This Rainbow Runner had 17 pieces of plastic in its stomach.

BYO Whether at SCHOOL, A FRIEND’S HOUSE, OUT TO DINE, OR ON A PLANE Step One: REDUCE & REUSE

Visit Earth911.com and your local waste management website Step Two: LEARN WHAT TO RECYCLE

What happens when something is RECYCLED?

Step 3 – Support Policy Reductions Ten states have a bottle recycling bill and 100+ cities have a Plastic bag ban or fee-based ordinance for checkout bags. = decreased litter and increased recycling

1: BYO 2: Recycle Right 3: Get Involved: surfrider.org/rap

Three Scenarios for Plastic Pollution

Beyond Bag Bans Establish a plastic pollution baseline and seek meaningful reductions. What are the top items collected at your beach cleanups? Additional Plastic Pollution Reduction tactics include: - polystyrene bans/ordinances - smoke-free beaches - balloon release bans/ordinances, - fishing gear responsibility - stop spending city funds on bottled water, - no plastic straws at beach concessions, etc. - on a larger scale: Bottle Bills, Zero-Waste cities and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)