Target Litterbugs, Not Products, to Clean Up Beaches
By Jean-Michel Cousteau
December 18, 2005
Efforts are under way in Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties to ban various plastic products to reduce litter on beaches. That's like banning food because people are overweight.
California's beaches are a natural treasure and we need the public's help to protect them. But history teaches an important lesson: Bans don't work.
If a community bans Styrofoam and plastic carry-out containers, coffee cups, picnic ware and similar items, we know what will happen: individuals and businesses will switch to other disposable products, such as glass, aluminum, and wax-covered cardboard. The amount of litter will not change, only its composition. That's why bans are overly simplistic and don't get to the real cause of the problem.
I have spent my entire life protecting our oceans and beaches, and trusting education will ultimately produce the best safeguards for our environment. But I'm also a realist. I understand human behavior and realize that good intentions are not good enough.
To solve a problem, we must understand it. The products we use aren't the problem; people who litter are. It's a matter of thoughtless behavior.
Research shows that beach litter comes from many sources: local residents, tourists and "day trippers," and people who live, work and commute many miles away, whose litter is picked up by drainage systems, washed out to sea and redeposited on our beaches.
Litter is a serious problem. According to the California Coastal Commission, the more than 40,000 volunteers who participated in Coastal Cleanup Day in September picked up nearly 800,000 pounds of trash from the Golden State's 1,100 miles of coastline. We need to do something to reduce this.
But approaching the problem by banning certain materials -- as Ventura County and Malibu have done -- won't work and may actually give citizens the false hope that they've "solved" the problem. For example, Malibu's early September decision to adopt a citywide ban on serving food and drinks in Styrofoam containers does not stop visitors from bringing other throw-away products -- including plastics -- to the beach. Ventura County's resolution that no plastics of any kind can be used during county-sponsored events similarly does not stop vendors from using other disposable containers.
Public officials who are serious about cleaning up their beaches and protecting the environment are not without options.
First, they can enhance and enforce existing anti-litter laws. Littering is illegal in California. But only law enforcement officers are allowed to give out tickets and they generally have higher priorities. Besides, many judges consider the current $1,000 fine excessive. So the law isn't uniformly enforced and isn't the deterrent it was intended to be.
The dynamics here have to change. For starters, beach communities should consider "deputizing" public works employees -- such as beach sanitation workers, lifeguards and parking meter attendants -- to cite littering offenders.
Lawmakers and judges also have a role. Judges need to understand that littering is a serious problem, and perhaps be less tolerant of offenders by levying the $1,000 fine. Stricter enforcement would send a very real message to would-be offenders: Litter and you will pay the price.
Public officials also can increase their support for public education efforts designed to discourage littering and encourage recycling. The focus of these initiatives should include all types of products found in debris: plastics, aluminum, paper, glass and other materials. Several private organizations, such as Keep California Beautiful, already are doing this successfully and their efforts should be lauded and expanded.
Additionally, some industries are sponsoring a program called "Bring it Back Plus," encouraging people not only to pick up their own trash as they depart the beach, but to pick up some of what was left behind by others who were less responsible.
As my father once observed, "People protect what they love." Public education and stricter enforcement of existing litter laws, with appropriate penalties, would help remind both our fellow Californians and the thousands of visitors who come here each year that it is their personal responsibility and civic duty to keep California clean.
Unfortunately, there will always be litterbugs among us. Bans have no effect at all on such people. Irresponsible human behavior cannot be addressed by eliminating products in society. People need to be aware that what they do -- or don't do -- can harm the planet where we all reside.
-- Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau,
Sources:
Cousteau, Jean-Michel. http://www.venturacountystar.com. Ventura: The E.W. Scripps Co., 2005.
