The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) is hosting its 24th annual Source to Sea Cleanup throughout September. This year, CRC is asking participants and all who enjoy our rivers to join in demanding an end to trashed waterways.
“After cleaning up 1,167 tons of trash over the past 23 years, it's clear that repeated cleaning is not the solution to our trash problem,” CRC Executive Director Andrew Fisk said in a news release.
“Consumers need to avoid single use items,” he continued. “And it's time for the businesses who created and have been profiting from this trash to now help solve the problem through fundamental redesign of how our products are made and disposed of.”
CRC says it seeks a redesigned economy where there isn't waste in the first place, and that it is time businesses step up to voluntarily do the right thing by offering more sustainable, reusable, recyclable, and compostable options.
“As individuals, we should always properly dispose of and recycle our waste,” continues Fisk. “And it's time that corporations also take responsibility for their role in trashing our rivers.”
“We invite everyone to join us in telling businesses we expect better,” says Stacey Lennard, CRC cleanup coordinator. “You can help show the problem to help solve the problem. Take a photo, video, or make art inspired by river beauty or river pollution. Get creative, use #RiverWitness, and tag CRC on social media.”
CRC will add everyone's images to an online mosaic photo display and video. Select images will be used to call on decision-makers to enact trash solutions to keep trash out of our rivers.
According to CRC, the best way businesses and corporations can cut down on their products becoming litter in our rivers is to offer more reusable options, like coffee mugs and drink cups. Additionally, bio-plastics are emerging as a promising alternative to plastic made from fossil fuels.
New plastics are compostable, break down in the marine environment as food, are made from waste, and are made with less energy and environmental impact than traditional petroleum plastics.
“We all have a responsibility to solve this problem,” says Fisk. “We are responsible as consumers to make good choices in how we purchase and dispose of products. Manufacturers, businesses, and government are also responsible and it's time they do their part.”
“By working together, we can make a real difference for our rivers. These ideas are going to take time - decades, even. And we'll keep at it as long as it takes. But our rivers need change now.”