Grade Levels

K - 12

Objectives

       Students will investigate interrelationships between the environment and litter by:

• observing   types and conditions of shoreline litter;
• inferring    about possible sources and effects of litter;
• collecting, organizing, and reporting    data.

Standards of Learning

Science: K.1, K.16; 1.1, 1.15; 2.1, 2.13; 3.1, 3.2, 3.4; 4.1, 4.2; 5.1, 5.11; 6.2, 6.20, 6.21; 7.1, 7.5, 7.18; 8.1, 8.16, 8.17; 9.23.
Social Studies: 3.3, 3.14, 3.15; 6.3, 6.5; 7.4, 7.9; 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 8.10; 9.5, 9.6, 9.8, 9.9, 9.11; 11.2, 11.9

Background

       The ultimate fate of litter in the Bay is varied. Paper products and untreated wood decay. Glass and metals sink and are eventually covered by sediment. But plastics are, for the most part, non-degradable (will not disintegrate) and are light enough to float or remain suspended in the water. Thus a single piece of plastic litter might be a problem for hundreds of years.

       Many organizations, government agencies and individuals are working to solve litter problems. Among the attempted solutions are anti-litter laws, public information campaigns and photodegradable (disintegrate in presence of sunlight) and biodegradable (eventually disintegrate biologically) plastics. While these may reduce some of the negative effects of plastic litter in the environment, they do pose other problems. They do not degrade if buried, as in a landfill, and they cannot be recycled with other non-degradable plastics.

       In 1988, the Coast Guard issued regulations that prohibit the dumping of plastic in our oceans and waterways, implementing Annex V of MARPOL, an international treaty. The regulations apply to all U.S. vessels wherever they operate, and to foreign vessels operating within 200 miles of the U.S. coast. While these regulations will not eliminate waterborne litter, they should help mitigate the problem.

       Solutions to a complex problem like waterborne litter require a thorough understanding of the problem. One non-profit marine conservation group, the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), is building a data base on marine debris for the entire United States. The CMC receives much of its information by encouraging groups to collect shoreline litter, keep count of the types of litter collected and send in the statistics. With a little ingenuity, a coastal field trip can contribute to this valuable research and be a great learning experience.

Materials

To wear:

• "wettable" sturdy footwear (no sandals or flip-flops)
• leather and rubber gloves

  Per team:
  

• Beach Cleanup Data Card
• Guide to Marine Debris
• A Guide to Good Data Collection
• clip board
• pens or pencils
• five gallon bucket
• plastic trash bags (at least 1 per person)

Resources

O'Hara, K.J., S. Iudicello, and R. Bierce. 1988.

A Citizen's Guide to Plastics in the Ocean: More Than a Litter Problem.   Center for Marine Conservation, Washington, DC. 20036. (Also - Marine Debris Education Materials List and Order Form  .) (202) 429-5609. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Reynolds Aluminum Recycling Co.

Aluminum Recycling Starter Kit.    Richmond, VA 23261-7003.

Spoken Arts, Inc.

Dash McTrash and the Pollution Solution.   New Rochelle, NY 10801.

Virginia Department of Waste Management, Division of Litter Control and Recycling.

The New Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle!; An Idea Notebook for Elementary Teachers on Litter Control; Operation Waste Watch Kit.    Eleventh Floor, Monroe Bldg., Richmond, VA 23219. (804) 786-8679.

Procedure

Before the Trip:

1. Write to the Center for Marine Conservation (use form provided) to request copies of their beach cleanup handouts -- Beach Cleanup Data Card, A Guide to Good Data Collection  , and Guide to Marine Debris.    Ask for at least one copy of each handout for every team of two to four students.

2. Make an extra copy of the list side of the Beach Cleanup Data Card.   On the copy, cross out the word "COLLECTED" and write "PREDICTED." Use this modified copy to make enough for each team.

3. Divide the class into teams of two or four students.

4. Lead a class discussion on the problems of waterborne litter.
   
   • What, to you, is litter ... a gum wrapper, cigarette filter, 20 feet or 1/2-inch of fishing line?
   • What types of litter did you see the last time you were on a public beach?
   • Have any of you ever been injured by beach litter or do you know anyone who has?
   • Have you ever seen animals trapped or killed by litter?
   • Have you ever observed animals making use of litter in lieu of natural materials?

5. Distribute the handouts. On the "Items Predicted" sheet, each team marks the number of each item they predict they will find during the field trip. Review the other handouts, the activity, and field trip plans with the class.

6. Emphasize important safety procedures:
   • Wear gloves.
   • Do not go near large drums. Report these to park rangers.
   • Be careful with sharp objects.
   • Be careful with potential hazards such as tampon applicators, condoms, and syringes. (Note: Discussion of these materials is at the discretion of each teacher, depending on the age and maturity of the students. Decide whether to just list them or avoid them altogether, and see that chaperons understand the policy.)

At the Park:

1. Be sure each team has a Beach Cleanup Data Card,    a clipboard and pen or pencil. (Bring some extras.)

2. Each team chooses a data recorder to tabulate on the data card the litter they find.

3. Equip each team with receptacles for carrying litter. Use garbage bags for most items and a five gallon bucket for sharp items that might cut through garbage bags.

4. At the shoreline, set boundaries, such as "from the water's edge to the high tide mark" and "from the tidal creek to the big log." Do not avoid marshes, if the footing is sound, since waterborne debris readily collects there.

5. The teams spread out and collect litter within the boundaries for a designated period of time.

6. Regroup the class. The teams sort their litter on the beach or lawn in groups, as classified on the data card.

7. A member from each team selects a piece of their litter to discuss the following points:
   
   • How might the litter have gotten into the water or onto the shore and how could it have been avoided?
   • If not picked up, what might happen to the litter in 1 year, 5, 20, 400 years?
   • How could the litter affect wildlife and man, both negatively and positively, if left in the water or along the shore?
   • Identify at least one way that the litter can be recycled.
   • What appears to be the source of the majority of litter collected by each team (i.e. picnickers, fishermen, boats, etc)?
   • What was each team's most interesting, surprising, or unusual litter related observation of the day?
8. When the discussion is completed, together gather the litter and dispose of it appropriately (preferably by recycling).

Follow Up

1. Each team compares their "Items Collected" lists with their "Items Predicted" lists and makes bar graphs showing the relative amounts of the types of litter predicted and collected.

2. On the blackboard or with overhead transparencies, compile all the lists and graphs into one.

3. Each team completes its Beach Cleanup Data Card.

4. Collect the cards and send them to the CMC.

Variations

Younger students:
Each team of students must  have an adult monitor to pick up and carry all potentially hazardous litter, as well as record data, as students collect and sort the litter.

Gifted/Advanced:

1. Students keep a file on the consequences of pollution disasters like oil spills, etc. using newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet as sources of information.

2. Obtain further data from the CMC so students can perform statistical comparisons between their findings and the baseline data.

Extensions

1. Encourage independent exploration of topics such as:
   
   • Status of local, state and federal liter-related legislation (e.g. investigate the progress of a bottle bill in the VA General Assembly over the last decade). What groups favor and oppose which bills and why?
   • Recent innovations with plastics such as recycling, biodegradables and photodegradables. Debate the pros and cons of using these materials.

2. Students write letters to their lawmakers, stating their own positions on litter-related legislation.

3. Students create litter art in the form of posters showing the effects of litter on the Bay, or sculptures or mobiles from litter collected during the field trip.

4. Students are challenged to invent useable products from recyclable plastics.

5. Start a class recycling project.

Where in the Park

When

Time Required at the Park:

60-90 minutes, near low tide.

Time of Year:

All seasons.

Credits:

Activity and background information adapted with permission from Aquatic Project WILD.  1987^© "Plastic Jellyfish."  Western Regional Environmental Education Council. Write:

VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries
4010 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23230.

(804) 367-1000.

Printable Forms:

The Dirty Dozen, the 12 most abundant types of trash collected during "Clean the Bay" Day in 1989.

CMC Materials Form

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