During spring break people all over the nation, especially students, travel to hot party locations where they can partake in memorable spring break festivities. One of the most popular destinations for those people tend to be beaches, especially in Florida, where the water is warm. Sadly, due to the large amount of drug operations and around Miami it’s beaches are one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world during spring break. With the rowdy wave of college students and young people inevitably comes trash; lots and lots of it. So much in fact that pictures taken from above the beaches showed massive discoloration of the pristine sand with beer cans, plastic bottles and a variety of things both toxic and harmful to the local wildlife, as well as annoying to Miami residents.

“People shouldn’t forget to clean up after themselves, because the trash is ugly and hurtful. We want to protect both our local economy and the ecosystem,” freshman Lorenzo Balvedi said.

These spring break trips are no small deal. Over the course of two weeks, over one billion dollars are spent on spring break vacations to beaches alone. So, what can be done about this tremendous problem? The City of Miami Beach has tackled the issue through a social media campaign to raise awareness of the harm caused by the trash left on the beach. In addition there are several local beach clean-up events hosted throughout the year to keep the beaches clean and the wildlife safe. To add to that, many cities have imposed strict fines on littering, with some going up to $500.

While some people may justify leaving trash on the beach by saying no garbage bins were nearby, or that they just forgot, or even that one bottle won’t impact the ecosystem much. However, these are all illegitimate reasons. There are always garbage bins at every public beach, just a little farther from the beach. Forgetting happens, but people need to remember to clean up because of the severe ecological damages, which do exist. For example, one bottle can cause the death of one turtle, which then loses the ability to reproduce and add dozens of new turtles to the ecosystem.

In the face of this near-crisis, you must do your part to keep the beaches clean. When at the beach, always pick up after yourself and throw away any nearby garbage, regardless of whether or not it is yours. Never bring plastic bags, as they can choke and suffocate many marine animals. It is crucial to remember that if you plan on bringing beverages that come in plastic rings it is important that you either remove them from the rings beforehand or cut the rings in pieces before throwing them away. These plastic rings can get caught around animals and cause severe bodily harm and disfigurement.

So, to conclude, the spring break rush to Florida beaches is an issue, but it doesn’t have to be. Just do your part to keep the beaches clean, and not only will you be helping beautify your city, but you will be saving countless lives of marine life.