Sandy Hook National Park and Popomora Point Beach have beautiful views of New York City's skyline, but are infiltrated with New York City's trash. I take walks at these beaches every weekend, and without fail I find plastic and glass waste--products that are easily recyclable--littering the shores.
At first, I started collecting the trash and recycling it, walking back to my home with bags and bags of water bottles, cigarette lighters, and, worst of all, tampon applicators. When I realized that there was more trash floating in the ocean than I could ever collect, I decided to fight back in my own small way: I created a snarky Instagram account.
My goal with creating CrapIFindattheBeach was to hold companies accountable for the waste that washes up on the beaches. Ocean litter like this is often thought of as being the result of personal choices ( "That person should have recycled this bottle") and is dealt with on a personal or community scale (individuals or groups doing beach clean ups). But I wanted to call attention to the fact that companies like Poland Springs, Tampax, and Bic are selling products to the public that will NOT biodegrade. These companies are so invested in the production and sales of these plastic products, why shouldn't they invest in the waste management of their products as well?
Making the lifespan of the water bottle cyclical rather than "factory to ocean"--also known as "Closing the Loop"--is the present and future of product design. Holding these companies accountable for all of the waste they produce is the first step.