Going to the beach is a lifestyle for most people when you live on the coast. You find yourself going to the beach almost every day in the summer, and could not imagine a life with no water close by. My home state, Rhode Island, has beautiful beaches that attract tourists from around the world. It is amazing that people will travel from close to far to come to our little state for our amazing attractions. More and more tourists come every year to relax under the sun. It is sad to say though that once the sun goes down and everyone leaves there are heaps of trash left for beach employees to pick up.

Unfortunately, some people depend on others to pick up their trash. There is so much trash on some beaches that I find it a bit appalling that we can produce that much garbage in just one day. I am sure that there is some trash that does not get picked up, that makes it's way into the ocean and potentially eaten by a sea creature. As much as we love the beach, it is not our natural home. There are plenty of animals including birds, crabs, fish and many others that mistaken our trash for food. The beach is their home and many people will leave soda cans, plastic bags or wrappers.

When you go the beach, be considerate and take all of your trash with you or throw it out in the nearest trash bin. Some beaches in Rhode Island will give you a bag to keep your garbage in. Beaches are beautiful and tainting that with cluttered trash is bad for the environment, bad for animals and bad-looking. Currently, there are 5.25 trillion pieces of trash in the ocean, and rising. Help reduce this number by picking up trash or reduce your use of plastic. It takes up to 1,000 years for plastic to break down in the environment. The paper takes a few months to decompose. Plastic bags can be mistaken for jellyfish, a food source for turtles, dolphins and other sea animals.

Together we can stop the rising rate of trash in the ocean. Be conscientious and pick up your trash!