Beachgoer shares photo of unusual method for keeping the waterfront clean: 'This is pretty cool, but it's also really sad'

If you're lucky enough to live by the ocean, beach trips are a quintessential part of summer. One town launched an innovative project to help people enjoy days lounging in the sand while keeping beaches and the ocean litter-free. 

In a popular Reddit post, a user shared a photo of the baskets that a public works department placed at a local beach. Visitors can take a basket to collect trash while visiting the beach to clean up their trash and trash left behind by others.

"Beach walkers," the sign above the baskets reads. "Please take a basket and help make a difference by collecting trash." 

There are bins to dispose of each type of trash, and visitors can return the baskets to the container before they leave. 

"Making things easy at our beach," the Redditor wrote in their post. 

This unique but effective approach to keeping beaches clean not only helps the environment, but it also makes beach visits more convenient for guests. 

It's easy to accumulate trash on a beach trip, from beverage cans to snack wrappers. Instead of hunting for a garbage can, beachgoers can use the baskets for trash until they're ready to pack up for the day.

These baskets will also help reduce littering on beaches and plastic pollution in the ocean. 

As of 2015, researchers estimated there were 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. While some organizations and governments have attempted to curb plastic pollution, this number has likely increased in recent years. 

According to a recent study, there are more than 170 trillion plastic particles in the ocean. Numbers have reached "unprecedented levels," according to the research published in PLOS One, a science and medicine journal. 

Protecting beaches and waterways from plastic debris is crucial. Plastic particles endanger marine life and, in turn, contaminate human food sources. Every piece of plastic recovered counts, and these baskets will help make a difference. 

Fellow Redditors were impressed with this unusual tactic to combat beach littering in the comment section. 

"This is pretty cool, but it's also really sad," one user wrote, lamenting over trash littering beaches. 

"Wow, this is amazing!" said another. 

"I walk on the beach a lot but almost always forget to bring a bag with me for trash," another added. "I would love if they did this on the beaches near me."

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