"Cleaning Our CREEKs"
by Gabi Ballardo
Contra Costa Resource Conservation District and Its Volunteers Discover Telling Trends in Pollutants Collected in Alhambra and Rodeo Watersheds.
Walking along a creek, you notice something poking out of the dirt along the banks. It seems to be a clear object, but the murky water makes it hard to tell what it is. You walk toward it to take a closer look. Unsurprisingly, it is a plastic bottle, but that is not the only thing that you find by the water.
When you picture pollution, you might think of plastics that are laying around like plastic bags or plastic bottles. While these are typical items that heavily contribute to pollution, there are many other materials that pollute the environment. Styrofoam, cigarette butts, food wrappers, and paper are also main sources of pollution, especially found in and along creeks and shorelines.
When you picture pollution, you might think of plastics that are laying around like plastic bags or plastic bottles. While these are typical items that heavily contribute to pollution, there are many other materials that pollute the environment. Styrofoam, cigarette butts, food wrappers, and paper are also main sources of pollution, especially found in and along creeks and shorelines.
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Is It a Plastic Problem or Something Else?
Despite the fact that there are various discarded objects that pollute the environment, overall, plastics, paper, styrofoam, and cigarette butts tend to be the largest contributors of trash-generated pollution. Plastics are particularly problematic since they have many different forms and uses. Single-use utensils, packaging, trash bags, bottles, and even a large selection of synthetically-made fabric used to construct clothing are just a few items that are made up of plastic material. Plastics are so frequently discovered in the environment that in 2016, at one cleanup alone, volunteers found 308 pieces of small plastic along Rodeo Creek in Contra Costa County. This large quantity of plastic does not even include plastic bags or bottles that were also found! |
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The four most prevalent items that were collected in Rodeo Creek are represented in this pie chart as average percentages of items collected from 2016-2019. Items under the Other category are representative of all trash collected other than the four most commonly seen items. As shown in the pie chart, Paper makes up the largest portion of the total trash collected, while Plastics and Other equally make up the second largest majority. The most commonly found items under these categories are soft and hard plastic pieces along with styrofoam respectively. Carry-Out Food Items such as food wrappers, food containers, cups, lids, and straws also largely contribute to trash found in creeks along with Cigarette Butts.
How Do We Know This?
CCRCD along with many of their partners have led groups of volunteers in Coastal Cleanup Day events over the years to help clear the waterways in Contra Costa County. Many cleanups have taken place on unincorporated Contra Costa sites where volunteers worked together in small teams with one person carrying a checklist to tally the types of trash collected. At the end of the day, all tally sheets were combined and the data was stored. As the data accumulated each year, a detailed picture of trash trends emerged.
How Do We Know This?
CCRCD along with many of their partners have led groups of volunteers in Coastal Cleanup Day events over the years to help clear the waterways in Contra Costa County. Many cleanups have taken place on unincorporated Contra Costa sites where volunteers worked together in small teams with one person carrying a checklist to tally the types of trash collected. At the end of the day, all tally sheets were combined and the data was stored. As the data accumulated each year, a detailed picture of trash trends emerged.
The cleanups have done a great deal to reduce some of the trash within Contra Costa’s waterways, but this is only the start in creating change and should serve as motivation in continuing to keep trash out. Many items that are found within and around aquatic environments include carry-out food items like plastic utensils and to-go containers which are often made of styrofoam that is non-biodegradable, meaning that it never breaks down. Non-biodegradable pollution may seem daunting, but there are solutions to help break the cycle.
Helpful Habits Bring Hope
While it may seem like pollution problems continue to pile up, there are many ways that we can stop trash from polluting our waterways and environment. Small actions make a big difference. With Coastal Cleanup Day events, over 4,369 pieces of trash were collected from 2016-2019 along Rodeo Creek and the amount of cigarette butts out of the total trash that was picked up decreased from 24% in 2016 to less than 4% in 2019. This reduction in cigarette butts is particularly important as small pieces of trash are especially dangerous to animals who may mistake them for food.
Pollution Prevention
Ultimately pollution begins with our choices and habits.
Besides participating in Coastal Cleanup Day events, you can help reduce pollution in the environment through prevention practices:
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to receive updates on new and on-going events to get involved with your community and help conserve Contra Costa County’s watersheds.
Helpful Habits Bring Hope
While it may seem like pollution problems continue to pile up, there are many ways that we can stop trash from polluting our waterways and environment. Small actions make a big difference. With Coastal Cleanup Day events, over 4,369 pieces of trash were collected from 2016-2019 along Rodeo Creek and the amount of cigarette butts out of the total trash that was picked up decreased from 24% in 2016 to less than 4% in 2019. This reduction in cigarette butts is particularly important as small pieces of trash are especially dangerous to animals who may mistake them for food.
Pollution Prevention
Ultimately pollution begins with our choices and habits.
Besides participating in Coastal Cleanup Day events, you can help reduce pollution in the environment through prevention practices:
- Part ways with plastic and styrfoam items
- There are many ways that you can save food or take it to-go by ditching single-use plastic or styrofoam items and using reusable food containers or utensils that are made out of other material like bamboo, steel, silicone, or glass. You can also even make some reusable items yourself! Go online for tutorials on how to make your own reusable “paper” towels, food cover wraps, snack bags, and more.
- Make homemade snacks to reduce packaging like food wrappers
- There are many recipes online for easy, minimal ingredient granola bars that will help save money, your health, and the planet
- Visit your local farmer’s market with your reusable bags to avoid purchasing bags or products with excessive packaging and support sustainable farm to plate practices
- For a list of Contra Costa’s Certified Farmers’ Markets, follow this link: http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/7549/Contra-Costa-Certified-Farmers-Markets
- Upcycle and turn trash into treasure
- You can find many ways to upcycle items like scraps of fabric or old clothes into tote bags or reusable napkins online (Check out Pinterest for inspiration!)
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to receive updates on new and on-going events to get involved with your community and help conserve Contra Costa County’s watersheds.
