A Fort Lauderdale resident lamented the reckless and disrespectful behavior of visiting spring breakers in March. In a video posted by TikTok user Brittany (@brittanyatravis), a beautiful stretch of beach was shown completely covered in empty beer cans, plastic bottles, discarded clothes, and other debris from partygoers.
"PSA: If you're on spring break in Fort Lauderdale, please please PLEASE respect our beaches," she captioned the video. "This is heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable."
"Spring break is the worst. No respect," one commenter said mournfully.
@brittanyatravis It's really not that hard.. & everyone wonders one of the many reasons locals hate soring breakers. Party, get obliterated, have the time of your life but please clean up after yourselves & be respectful. #fyp #viral #trashedbeach #fortlauderdale #springbreak #trash #beach #oceanskyhotel #dobetter ♬ Revival - Zach Bryan
"And everyone wonders [why] locals hate spring breakers," the OP wrote.
"They don't know how negatively this impacts sea life," another person wrote.
"They know," another replied, "they just don't care enough."
Beach trash isn't just unsightly — it's also deadly for all of the marine creatures and birds that call the coast home. Each year, billions of pounds of trash enter the ocean, and 80% of that trash is plastic waste.
Plastic poses all sorts of threats to animals, from strangling them to starving them after they accidentally consume it. Plastic party cups, like the ones scattered around the beach in this video, have also been known to trap sea turtle hatchlings and keep them from ever reaching the ocean.
"They should be fined," one person said.
"I've lived here since '98 and it's always this bad," another said glumly.
And after several decades of spring break pollution, some of Florida's beachfront communities have finally had enough. Miami Beach recently launched a campaign declaring that they are "breaking up with spring break." On their website, they wrote: "Expect curfews, security checkpoints at beach access points, early beach entrance closures, DUI details, bumper-to-bumper traffic, increased parking rates, [and] road closures."
Elsewhere, similar efforts are underway to reduce the staggering amount of marine debris being generated each year. Many regions organize regular marine debris removal programs and beach cleanups. Other innovations — like a new type of autonomous drone that gathers garbage from the water — are helping to combat the danger of marine pollution too.
On a personal level, some extra attention to detail while planning a trip (such as avoiding using any single-use plastics) can ensure that you don't contribute to the problem. Either way, taking the extra few moments to be accountable for your own trash isn't going to ruin your time — plus you can feel good knowing that you left the beach as pristine as can be and likely kept things safer for ocean life.
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