More tourists, more trash?

WE ARE aghast by a recent report about a tourist defecating on Boracay Island’s white-sand shores, and another burying diaper on the sand? What on earth were they thinking?

We are reminded by this usual equation: The more the tourists, the more the trash. Indeed, fun and merriment tend to end up messy in many beaches. Vacationers both domestic and foreign must be reminded to keep our coastlines clean. Do not to trash these favorite destinations.

Beach litter is not only an eyesore, it pollutes the environment and kills marine life that get entangled in trash or when they mistake rubbish for food. According to the Ocean Conservancy data, in 2013 during the clean-up of some 13,000 miles of coastlines in 92 countries, more than 12.3 million pounds of trash, from cigarette butts to plastic bags, from food wrappers to beverage bottles, to anything you can imagine, including an air-conditioner and a couch, were recovered.

Here are some tips to guide everyone in making the beaches trash-free:

* Plan ahead before heading to the beach. Make a checklist of what you need to bring, avoiding those that easily end up as trash.

* When buying baon, do so in bulk and choose items in reusable or recyclable containers. Avoid buying in plastic sachets and so-called tipid packs. Avoid single-use and disposable products and packaging such as plastic bags, polystyrene packaging, disposable plastic cups and tableware, paper plates, plastic straws, disposable tissue papers and napkins, and the like. Use reusable ones instead, such as bayong and cloth bag, reusable plates, cups, forks and spoons.

* Bring trash bags for carrying back home segregated discards for later recovery, recycling and composting. Don’t toss cigarette butts anywhere on the beach, rather, bring it back home in separate container for proper management. Better still, quit smoking. You have not only dealt with the cigarette butt trash, but also with the health and environmental issues associated with smoking.

Before leaving the beach, heed the outdoorsmen’s adage: “Leave nothing but footprints.” Yes, courteously remind others not to litter on the beach, too. It would help a lot to do a mini clean-up of your area, picking even the garbage not of your making so others may at least blush seeing their trash cleaned by others.

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