Lesson of the ‘Trashopus’: Every day is Earth day

What looked like soft puffs of sea foam on Purdy Sand Spit actually were polystyrene foam. Colloquially known as “Styrofoam,” polystyrene foam is what makes up many disposable coffee cups, to-go containers, and packaging materials. At Purdy, these were pieces smaller than popcorn kernels. Not only are they nearly impossible to fully clean up, but they also spread easily in the wind and are commonly ingested by coastal wildlife.

I spent the evening of Earth Day assisting a local youth environmental group – the Earthnauts – picking up the constant trash that defines this beach. While I learned all about polystyrene from a group of dedicated pre-teens, my takeaway was bigger: treat every day like it’s Earth Day.

Right next to a busy throughway at the end of Henderson Bay, the Purdy Sand Spit seems to be the perfect location for trash build-up. Among the foam that likely drifted in are cigarette butts, random articles of clothing, hazardous paraphernalia, and plenty of plastics — from single-use grocery bags and utensils to broken bits of hard plastic. Derelict fishing and shellfish gear wash up along with favorite beach items — sand toys, broken parts of chairs, sunglasses.

It’s no wonder the beach is a common spot for organized clean-ups: the effort could easily be a daily one.

Some residents have used trash from the Purdy Sand Spit to create statement art, educating the community about the devastating impacts of debris in our waterways. Morgan Kelly spent July 5, 2017 cleaning up the beach for a service project with local environmental nonprofit Harbor WildWatch. From this trash, Kelly made an X-sized ‘Trashtopus.’ The octopus sculpture stood on display in historic downtown Gig Harbor for over a year and Kelly — now 14 years old — spent time with it at Farmer’s Markets to educate visitors on the harmful effects of trash.

“A lot of people know, ‘Don’t throw trash in the ocean,’ but many don’t know how bad it actually is this close to home,” Kelly says. “I would highlight the Styrofoam on the seafloor around the octopus sculpture to educate people about the hazards of marine debris and how it doesn’t go away.”

Washington is taking notice of the debris, particularly polystyrene foam. The city of Seattle banned food service based polystyrene foam in 2009 and now Washington as a whole aims to do the same with State Senate Bill 5022. The Bill seeks to cut down on single-use plastics and would require plastic containers sold in-state for beverages, household cleaning products, and person care products to be made of at least 50% post-consumer-use recycled content. Notably, the use of polystyrene foam in food-service containers, as well as packaging materials and coolers, would be banned.

The Earthnauts’ monthly clean-up at Purdy also makes a visual impact, but Gig Harbor can do better. We can start by picking up one, two, ten pieces of trash when we visit Purdy Sand Spit — or any other area for that matter. Removing trash from the shoreline keeps it from drifting further and harming wildlife. It also keeps our water clean for recreational use.

Or start at the point-source: reduce the use of single-use plastic products. Bring your own bag to the grocery store (most are allowing this option again after COVID-19 precautions), use refillable water bottles – most of us already know the drill.

“Every day is an opportunity to go out there and make a difference,” Kelly says. “With COVID, we have a great opportunity to explore our own neighborhood and take those five extra seconds to pick up any trash we see. And I think the biggest way to make a difference is to focus on the ‘reduce’ of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ to make sure you’re leaving less behind.”

With a little bit of initiative, we can treat every day like it’s Earth Day and put forth the effort as individuals and groups to keep our precious marine environments clean.

This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 5:30 AM.