Curing the Bay!!

Hi my name is Alfonso Ramirez. My English 101 class had to attend Heal the Bay at Dockweiler Beach for a day. At first I was not really interested in participating but once I was done, I left with a different perspective of the beach. I never knew that the trash on the ocean and beaches were mistaken as food by animals. Cleaning the beach made me realize how much animals are in jeopardy. Most of the trash my partners and I found were simple stuff that could have been thrown away. I found a lot of cigarette buds, napkins, and bottle caps. I thought beaches were non smoking zones but yet I found a lot of cigarette buds! These items can easily be put into trash cans and be avoided by animals. The trash cans along the beach were all full and people just keep piling them instead of getting a new bag to throw the trash. There were other trash items such as diapers, boxes of alcohol and sodas, and a full pizza box. These items should not be on the beach at all. People are lazy, do not care about the environment, and do not realize the harm they are putting on animals. The most shocking thing I found was a ditch that was full of garbage. Just trash and trash piled together. It was a disgusting and disturbing view. I couldn't believe that people could live like that. Eventually the trash would end up in the ocean and animals would confuse trash for food. Animals have been found dead because of hazardous waste inside their stomachs. Plastic caps look edible for animals but they cannot tell the difference if it is food or not. Cleaning the beach was a life changing experience. I use to be one those people who would litter trash and wouldn't car. Now I am cautious and keep the animals in my mind. On my next trip to the beach if i see some trash on the floor, I'm not going to ignore but instead pick it up. I know picking up a little bit of trash isn't a lot but it is something. And something matters!