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 4
13 Balloons Today
Same beach as yesterday. More garbage from Cuba & more of the usual mix of single-use plastic bottles. And of course, 13 darn balloons – 11 latex, 2 Mylar - all on or near sea turtle nests. With the hundreds of nests along this beach, it’s hard for them not to.
Kimba
Our trusty 14-year-old JRT still joins us at the beach every time 🙂
Always plenty of shoes
Oil-laden shoes anyone?
Metinic Island, Maine
Sample of marine pollution washed ashore.
Ready to leave Metinic Island, Maine
2 of the 16 bags collected over 9 weeks
3 balloons today
The Florida Keys for my birthday weekend. First stop: clean beach. 3 latex balloons. Long Key State Park.
5 latex balloons today
Quick cleanup at Sombrero Beach in the Florida Keys. More plastic & firework debris washing in with the turtle & manatee grass. 5 latex balloons.
Big Pine Key
Cleanup on Big Pine Key while the little key deer watched. Lots of plastic, caps & 75 feet of rope. The plastic tower is 15 spiny lobster trap throats. And of course, 1 latex balloon.
Coco Plum Beach
Coco Plum Beach, Florida Keys. Lots of caps, straws & buoys. And of course, 1 latex balloon.
Key Colony Beach
Key Colony Beach, Florida Keys. Lots of single-use plastic bottles, caps & shoes. And of course, 2 latex balloons.
Before & After Cleanup
Key Colony Beach, Florida Keys
A day’s catch
Lots of little bits of plastic “chokables” today. The usual single-use water bottles, shoes, toothbrushes, straws, caps, 35 feet of rope, and 1 balloon. Hutchinson Island, Florida
2 latex balloons today
37 caps, 19 straws, 17 single-use plastic bottles, 9 pieces of plastic cutlery, 8 shoes. Light south winds brought in only 2 gooey latex balloons with ribbon, both near sea turtle nests.
Plastic knots
Why do people tie their plastic in knots before they toss it? We always find several of these.
FLotsam & Jetsam
Plastic caps & rings
Plastic straws & plastic cutlery
Single-use plastics like these are such a waste. There are glass, stainless steel, bamboo, etc. straws. It’s better to use real utensils, like the olden days!
Chillaxin' after picking up
All the debris we collect has been washed ashore. As you can see, no beachgoers here, except for us.
Flotsam & Jetsam
Tangled mess of fishing lines,
Flotsam & Jetsam
Goose barnacles on a heel.
Too Much Plastic
Plastic utensils, plastic toothbrushes, plastic straws & plastic lighters.
Plastic Packing Strips
Please cut your plastic packing straps, and anything in a ring and dispose of properly.
Flotsam & Jetsam
Mess of fishing line.
33 balloons today
Haven’t been to this beach in a while. Our usual beach has been staying clean with the southern summer breeze, so we ventured a few miles north to another desolate piece of paradise. The usual enormous amount of plastic single-use items. Styrofoam, cans, bottles, shoes, cargo straps, single-use plastic water bottles, single-use plastic utensils, single-use plastic straws, plastic caps, plastic lighters. Plastic is killing the planet! 33 balloons today – 26 latex & 7 Mylar.
Flotsam & Jetsam
Shredded, netty mess.