Collection Report March 26, 2012

I will get these caught up so I can post other things!

Monday, March 26. 8:00AM. Closing in on low-tide, another weak one. 40 degrees, cloudy & drizzly. Record-breaking warmth on the first day of spring melted into a rainy & decidedly March-like weekend. Come Monday there were few signs of beachgoers.

But plenty of signs of humanity. Like this:

Beyond the plastic string, the intact green "biodegradable" latex balloon is what bugs me. Industry insists that a balloon popping high in the air instantly turns into dust. The truth is in front of everyone who's ever walked a beach, yet the denials continue. It's simple: There are no safe or environmentally friendly balloon releases. Balloons that go up come down, many reach the ocean, and many are mistaken for food by endangered sea creatures. People are free to create their opinions; they're not free to create facts. Lies should be challenged.

Off to the rest of the finds. First, Zone N:

39 finds:

• Building materials: 4 (3 asphalt chunks, 1 tile)
• Foam/Styrofoam: 8
• Fishing misc.: 2 (scrap of fishing line, trap grating)
• Food-related plastics: 8 (cup, top, cup sliver, 4 wrapper scraps, straw)
• Food-related metal/glass: 0
• Nonfood/unknown plastics: 9 (balloon w string, 3 packaging scraps, tieback, 1 scrap >1", 3 scraps <1")
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 4 (3 filters, 1 filter tip)
• Paper/wood: 1
• Misc./unique: 3 (sock, leather offcut, metal toy truck)

Quite the mix this week. Rusted iron, fresh Big Gulp cups, and the tell-tale vertical sliver of a #6 PS cup, with equally tell-tale logo:

The Golden Arches

Saltwater stains & bryozoans attached; this sliver came from the sea. Free advertising.


And then Zone S:

27 finds:

• Building materials: 4 (asphalt)
• Foam/Styrofoam: 0
• Fishing misc.: 7 (buoy scrap, rope, 4 vinyl trap scraps, very old claw band)
• Food-related plastics: 3 (bottlecap seal, wrapper, old cup scrap)
• Food-related metal/glass: 2 (foil wrappers)
• Nonfood/unknown plastics: 6 (wheel/box?, bag scrap, 4 scraps >1")
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 3 (all wrappers)
• Paper/wood: 1
• Misc./unique: 1 (leather shoe sole)

Another week, another little bit of everything.