Most of these balloons are those falsely marketed by the balloon industry as “biodegradable latex.” All photos were taken by Balloons Blow on Hutchinson Island, Florida, USA – unless otherwise noted. All photos with citations may be used for education purposes.
Flotsam and Jetsam 15
Plastic Pollution
Dead bryozoan colony on an old plastic bottle.
Plastic Pollution
Fresh one for a change. 🙁
Thumbs Down to Plastic
Nibbled plastic bottle.
Plastic Pollution
Nibbled plastic.
Smart Water
Plastic bottled water isn’t very "smart."
Plastic Strapping
Please cut all your packing straps, you never know where they’ll end up.
Plastic Pollution
Spoon in the dune.
Plastic Pollution
The triangle is a lie.
Plastic Pollution
Washed-up plastic pollution in the dune.
Bird Watching
Watching bird friends on my plastic 3-legged half chair dug from the sand.
Plastic is Forever
Plastic never goes away, it just breaks up into smaller pieces. Have you got your reusable bottle yet?
Refuse Plastic
How can you cut plastic out of your life?
Another Day at the Beach
I don’t know why no one wants to come to the beach with me.
Vessel Debris
Thanks to the captain of a longline fishing vessel who put his boat on autopilot & went to sleep, the 45-ft Clayton Reed is now in pieces strewn about the beach, along with all its supplies 🙁 There was a hired crew to remove the boat & its remains, but it left a debris field of small stuff at least a half mile down the beach. Along with the usual stuff that gets washed ashore like plastic single-use bottles & some debris from the Caribbean, there were pieces of foam, styrofoam plates, plastic utensils, plastic bottled water, food, plastic oil containers, cleaning supplies, saws, fishing gear & glow sticks. And balloons, there were 14 - 10 latex & 4 mylar.
Beach Debris
The balloons are getting bigger! One giant mylar, one burst latex, plastic crap, an Elastomuffle & boat debris from the shipwreck 10 miles north were all found at this beach today.
Beach Cleanup
Bunch of everything today.
24 Balloons
Another beautiful day at the beach! The usual washed ashore single-use plastic bottles, plastic caps, plastic straws, plastic utenstils, plastic oil containers, fishing gear, rope, debris from the Caribbean & South America. More remnants from last week’s boat wreck: foam, styrofoam plates, glowsticks & aluminum. And of course, balloons. There were 24 today – 14 latex & 10 mylar.
41 Balloons
1/4 mile up from yesterday’s beach, same plastic crap. Single-use plastic beverage bottles, plastic caps, plastic straws, plastic toothbrushes, rope, yards of fishing line, Caribbean debris & shoes. And 41 balloons – 31 latex & 10 mylar.
Beach Cleanup
Got chased off the beach by the rain today, but not before collecting a bag full of plastic & 5 balloons – 4 latex & 1 mylar.
28 Balloons & More Pollution
Another beautiful day in paradise! Lots of plastic crap washed ashore. The ocean is full of plastic pollution.. Single-use plastic beverage bottles, single-use styrofoam cups, trash with bites in them from sea creatures, plastic buckets & lids, plastic utensils, plastic caps, plastic straws, plastic oil containers, a plastic garbage can, rope, styrofoam buoys, lightbulbs, shoes. And 28 balloons today – 19 latex & 9 mylar.
Beach Cleanup 1-27-13
Few miles south of the usual beach. Plastic doesn’t accumulate at this beach like it does at the others we frequent. 2 latex balloons today.
19 Balloons
Calm seas brought in less than usual this week, but the same culprits.. Single-use plastic beverage bottles, styrofoam cups (many with bitemarks), plastic utensils, plastic caps, plastic sheet shreds, styrofoam chunks, plastic items from the Caribbean & South America, shoes, rope, fishing gear, a 24″ aluminum boat hatch & a big old, rusty, iron cap. And of course, 19 balloons – 12 latex & 7 mylar.
Beach Pollution
All washed ashore a half mile stretch of beach. Single-use plastic beverage bottles, plastic & styrofoam cups (with fish & sea turtle bites in them), plastic containers, plastic straws, plastic caps, plastic bag knots, plastic oil containers, shoes, rope, fishing line, a big barnacle encrusted ghost net, plastic debris from Mexico & Central America, and 17 balloons – 12 latex & 5 mylar.
18 Balloons
Many are privy to the Pacific Garbage Patch, however we have a gyre full of plastic & marine debris right out here in the Atlantic. In fact, there are garbage ‘patches’ in all the ocean gyres, the entire sea is being choked with plastic.. All washed ashore on a quarter mile stretch: Single-use plastic water bottles, plastic beverage containers, styrofoam cups with bite marks from fish & sea turtles, plastic straws, plastic caps, plastic oil containers, plastic South American & Caribbean debris, 8 foot net, 15 feet of rope, shoes, a spent umbrella & 18 balloons – 10 latex & 8 mylar. On a happier note, dozens of spinner shark friends put on a show for us all day.