Museum of Litter

The 22nd Challenge

On Earth Day 2010, I remember someone making a comment about the hype of Earth Day. His point was everyone seemed to feel they were doing so much if they attended a one-day-a-year Earth Day event. He said we should be pitching in on a regular basis (I agree). As Earth Day is always celebrated on the 22nd, he suggested using the 22nd each month to do something special. I LIKE that idea! Also the number 22 has special significance to me -- it's my birthday. So, whoever you are*, thank you for that great idea. I'm running with it. I'm issuing:
 
 The Monthly 22nd Challenge
Using the 22nd as a reminder, what can we each do? Look around as you go through your day. Are there 22 pieces of litter you can pick up? Can you pick up everything in a 22 foot radius? Can you pick up litter for 22 minutes or even 22 seconds?
 
These are the first 22 pieces of litter I saw this morning. It took me a little more than 22 seconds, but not much -- probably 2 or 3 minutes at the most. Some of the pieces are very small pieces of plastic or cigarette butts. They are what I consider the worst... so small that they are easily ingested but not digested by wildlife causing birds, fish and turtles to die. This may not be a lot picked up, but every single piece is important.

Every litter bit hurts. Every little bit helps.
 
I'd love to hear from you. Let's start a conversation about litter to make those who are unaware more conscious. Please share your ideas and experience. *LIKE* us on Facebook.  If you take photos I invite you to post them on Facebook's Museum of Litter page.

If you're on Twitter, follow @MuseumofLitter. Together we can #twitterlittteraway.
 
* I wish I'd remember who's idea using the 22nd was so I could give credit. If it was you or you know who it was, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. Thanks!
 
 

Litter Donations from July 4, 2010, Lauderdale by the Sea, FL beach

Here are pictures of the litter left behind from the 4th of July festivities.

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It was rainy all afternoon and evening of the 4th, with intermittent scattered thunder storms, so there were not a lot of beach-goers for sun or fireworks. I picked up only four bags worth of litter this morning from behind Aruba, Anglin's Pier, Oriana and south to the Datura Portal.

Lauderdale by the Sea has a contract with a beach raker that combs the beach and picks up most of the debris. However, the equipment doesn't go to the water's edge and they are not set up to separate the recyclables. So, I concentrate on picking up litter at the shoreline (to prevent it from joining the Atlantic Garbage Patch); the recyclables and broken glass. I leave the rest for the raker; especially the fireworks, some of which did not detonate.

Of the four bags worth of litter I gathered, one bag was trash, two bags were recyclables and the fourth bag was my 'pick of the litter' to add to the Museum of Litter's collections.

Litter Donations June 29, 2009 -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

Collected litter for about an hour this morning, from 7 to 8 am, mostly along the tideline at the shore. I walked from the portal behind Windjammer to Anglin's Pier, ending behind Aruba.  Just south of the pier I picked up a LOT of balloon pieces -- just the top part where it is tied. I must have picked up about 10 or 15 of these.

Met a nice woman named O'Dallas who thanked me and volunteered to take my picture.

Noticed the recycling containers were moved so signs can be read when leaving the beach with garbage and recycling. Good move!

Look at the littered water bottle in the foreground of second picture. It totally amazes me someone could just drop litter so close to a trash or recycling container. Wouldn't you just love to get inside their head and know what they're thinking?

  Litter Donations -- June 17, 2009 -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

Picked up three and a half bags of litter this morning in a half hour from 8:00 - 8:30 am. (Third full bag not shown.) This was picked up from behind Windjammer heading north to just north of Anglin's pier behind Aruba. The brown bag (1/2 bag) was filled with things I took home, washed, sanitized and will make art from, or add to the museum's collection. Of the two white bags, the one on the right was throw-away trash and the one on the left is full of plastic & glass bottles and aluminum cans that were recycled in this recycle bin.

I think a lot more people would recycle their beach waste if the recycle signs were on both sides of the receptacle. Here is a picture of the same bins from the other side. You only see the signs when you enter the beach, not when you are leaving the beach with your trash. This morning I saw a young  kid walk from the shore with an aluminum can and throw it into the garbage. He probably didn't realize there was recycling.  If we could just duplicate the signs so they are on BOTH sides, we would make a lot of progress in our recycling efforts.

Litter Donations -- June 11, 2009 -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

The beach was a MESS this morning. Litter everywhere. Pizza boxes, all kinds of soda, water, beer bottles.

Had an early appointment so not a lot of time to pick up this morning. I knew the Beach Raker would get this, so I just took a picture and moved on to picking up the small bits of plastic debris along the shore it can't get. (Picture below)

 The Beach Rakers are doing a great job. Have noticed them getting out of their machine and picking up large amounts of litter by hand, which is a good thing because the beer bottles and cans just get crushed by their machines and are more dangerous than if they had just been left littering the beach.  Do they recycle these bottles and cans?

In one half hour, (from 7:50 am to 8:20 am) collected one full bag of litter. Walked from Anglin's Pier, south, past the Datura Portal, and finished behind the Windjammer. 

THANK YOU to the Town of Lauderdale by the Sea for the new recycling containers. I used the one at Datura Portal and could see another one at the Hibiscus Portal. Are they at every portal? Hope so. A great addition to helping our town be green.  

Litter Donations - June 4, 2009 -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

Blue skies... What a welcome site.

Pick-up this morning started at 7 am behind Windjammer. Headed north, past Orianna, the Pier and ended behind Aruba. Picked up three bags full from 7:00 to 7:30am. Headed back south with one empty bag. Didn't expect to fill it, but I did fill the fourth bag by the time I arrived back at Datura Portal around 8 am.

Just south of Windjammer got to see a special treat: a recent sea turtle nest. Watched the turtle patrol dig the eggs out by hand to relocate them to a safer spot.

Litter Donation -- June 3, 2009 - Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

Intermittent rain and storms for weeks, ..... this morning was no exception.

Eastern sky looked ominous with rain heading our way. Headed out around 7:30 am. Picked up litter along shoreline between seaweed and surf, while keeping an eye on the weather. In 1/2 hour collected one bag full while walking North from Windjammer, past Anglin's Pier, stopping just behind Aruba. I like to end at the Commercial portal because that is where the recycling container is and I find a lot of recyclables, especially near the pier. Box in front of plastic bag is from a box of chum.

Litter Donations -- Friday, May 29, 2009 -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

The beach was mostly litter-free this morning -- probably because it's a weekday and it's been rainy, so the beach has been less crowded.  Walked the shoreline heading North from behind Windjammer,  under Commercial Pier and as far as High Noon. In about an hour, collected only about half a small bag's worth of litter. Find of the day ( from behind Aruba ) :  a wrapper from a glow in the dark condom. I already know the artwork I'll make with that ... to be announced!

Litter Donations -- May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day) -- Lauderdale by the Sea, FL

 

Late start because of the on-going rain -- around 10am there was a sunny break and we headed out, starting at the Datura portal (behind Windjammer ) going north past Oriana, the Commercial Pier, Aruba and High Noon, stopping at Minto's, Villas by the Sea.

 

When I first entered the beach, a very sunburned tourist spotted an small sea creature on shore that could not get back out to the ocean.  It was moving slightly & looked like a slug. Her friend got a cup for the creature, filled it with sea water & it came to life all undulating and frilly, like a beautiful Alvin Ailey ballet. Click on the following blue sentence to see it in action:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqJohD-kM84  Her kids took it far out into the ocean so maybe it has a good chance of survival.

 

In two places I found fishing line tangled around plastic debris with seaweed and fish hooks. I would have liked to save the hooks for display in the Museum's hook line & sinker collection but it was so tangled I couldn't safely remove the litter. As it was, the hook pricked my plastic glove. I removed as much of the seaweed as I could safely and threw the rest away.

 

Collected one large (kitchen size) -- very heavy -- garbage bag worth of litter, just from the shoreline, in about an hour.