Zeehan reveals more

At her talk on Saturday, Zeehan also mentioned the dangers of litter in our local waters. The annual International Coastal Cleanup Singapore, jointly organised by the RMBR and the NSS has revealed that the most common form of litter found are cigarette butts! Some 22.6% of the amount of litter collected from our coasts in 2003, or some 16,812 pieces of cigarette butts were collected. This was followed by plastic bags (14.6%), plastic wrappers and containers (11.8%) and plastic straws and stirrers (8.9%).

Picture from Planet Ark.

It is imperative that divers, who seek the oceans for recreation return a certain respect to the seas and do not litter into it. It takes little effort to place your garbage into a trash bin on deck or keep it to be disposed of on shore. little efforts go a long way. Similarly, a little litter can cause major harm. A single piece of plastic bag may end up being consumed by a turtle that's mistaken it for jellyfish. This innocent act will cost this very popular animal its life. Other marine mammals and birds are affected by marine debris as well.

With much importance, Zeehan also mentioned that not only does littering directly into the sea cause harm. Litter on land can eventually end up in the seas when washed into drains or canals. This is very often the case, as all drains eventually, lead to the sea. No aspect of our environment exists independently.

Become more aware.