Plastic pollution is overwhelming our oceans, but this organisation is fighting back.
The big problem
Plastic is the poster child of humankind’s wasteful and destructive ways. The plastic wrapping, straws and other products we use come from oil and natural gas – industries that are warming our planet – and these almost-indestructible products simply break down into smaller and smaller pieces, with devastating consequences.
Australians use 130 kilograms of plastic per person each year, but only about 10% is recycled (the rest ends up in landfill). Scarier still, up to 130,000 tonnes of Australia’s plastic ends up in our waterways and oceans annually, killing animals that mistake it for food. In fact, if our love affair with plastic continues, one study suggests there’ll be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050!
Enter Take 3 For The Sea, an Australian organisation that aims to change the world with a simple message – take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere, and you’ve made a difference.
From little things, big things grow
Armed with the idea that a simple action could create huge consequences the Take 3 For The Sea movement was born. Since then, Take 3 has removed 10 million pieces of rubbish annually, with participation in 129 countries and 350,000 people educated about pollution through its education programs.
A global movement
Take 3 also inspires participation and has built a global movement through its ambassadors.
Former Australian longboarding champion and world number three, Belinda “Bindy” Baggs, considered one of the world’s most graceful surfers, sees firsthand the impact plastic has on our oceans.
“Plastic pollution has been evident my entire surfing life and it has increased over the past decade,” says the Take 3 ambassador. “Throughout Australia I’ve seen more and more rubbish from local sources on urban beaches (cigarette butts, straws and wrappers), and more marine debris washed up on isolated and unpopulated locations (rope, larger plastics and plastic bottles).
Belinda says she’s hopeful the tide is changing, however, with organisations such as Take 3 helping spread the message of a plastic-free future. “This is why I love Take 3’s work – it introduces the issue plaguing our oceans and provides everyone with an accessible way to help,” she explains.
What else can you do?
While picking up rubbish is a great way to help, we also need to reassess our relationship with plastic. You can do this by minimising the plastic you use at home and on the go, using plastic-free alternatives instead.
You can also write emails to your local council and politicians, urging them to push for bans on single-use plastics, such as straws, coffee cups and cutlery.
Spreading the plastic-free message to your friends and family will also help the movement grow stronger!
The power is yours
A love of the ocean shines through in much of the work of Take 3 ambassador Grant Molony, an Aboriginal artist, photographer and waterman, whose imagery often depicts waves and marine life. He says he’s seen Take 3 make a huge difference through visiting schools and pre-schools to spread the plastic pollution message.
“If you think you can’t make a difference, you’re wrong,” he says. “Imagine if you collected three pieces of rubbish every time you visited a waterway. Do the maths and then get your classmates to do the same, then your whole school. It’s up to the kids to teach their parents and grandparents because the younger generation is the future.”
