Paddle boarder takes action after destructive trend wreaks havoc on local waterway: 'It's the very least I can do'

Getting outside and experiencing nature can be a wonderful time — but less so when that nature has trash strewn all over the place.

One Florida-based environmental scientist/chemical oceanographer recently decided to make picking up some trash part of their joyful nature experience, writing that, "It's the very least I can do."

In a TikTok video titled "Sunday funday well spent," Abbeysky (@abbeyskyler19) recorded herself participating in a community-led event where she paddleboarded around, plucked trash out of the Indian River Lagoon, and appeared to have a perfectly nice time while doing it, all set to the dulcet tones of "On the Way" by Australian indie folk band Hollow Coves.

@abbeyskyler19 Sunday funday well spent 🗑️ #fyp #explore #environment #trashcleanup #indianriverlagoon #florida #paddleboard #bodyglove @Body Glove ♬ On The Way - Hollow Coves

Among the items that Abbey and others removed from the river were a deodorant container, several cans, and many other pieces of garbage that, in the end, totaled over 60 pounds of trash.

While 60 pounds of trash is undoubtedly a lot for a group of volunteers to pull out of a river while on a paddleboard, the total amount of litter in our rivers, forests, oceans, and so on is, of course, much, much higher. According to a 2020 study conducted by nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, there are currently around 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways.

There are several approaches that people in power have come up with for addressing this ever-growing problem.

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One involves putting the onus of cleaning up this mess on the corporations that are most responsible for it — the ones that produce and distribute the bulk of the items that end up being discarded. To that end, New York State Attorney General Letitia James recently filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo, alleging the company has created a "public nuisance" by producing so many disposable products that end up in the state's waterways.

Some states and municipalities have also started banning the sale of single-use plastic items in certain situations, such as in grocery stores, in hotels, or for government agencies.

As for Abbey, she and her fellow volunteers did their part, and it did not go unnoticed by the viewers of her TikTok page.