CLIPBOARD : Beach Trash
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If Earth Day ’90 is fading from memory, this ought to ring a bell. In the 1989 Adopt-A-Beach cleanup, the Center for Marine Conservation reports that 12 kinds of litter made up 80% of the total trash collected by volunteers. Cigarette butts and Styrofoam pieces alone accounted for about half. Here’s a more detailed look:
Item Percentage Cigarette butts 26.49 Styrofoam pieces 21.98 Plastic pieces 6.17 Plastic straws and cups 6.11 Pieces of paper 4.74 Plastic caps and lids 3.68 Metal bottle caps 2.90 Pieces of glass 1.90 Glass beverage bottles 1.90 Aluminum beverage cans 1.70 Styrofoam cups 1.28 Balloons 1.20 TOTAL 80.05
Source: Center for Marine Conservation
Research by: April Jackson / Los Angeles Times
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