Beach Trash: Where Do You Come From?

If you’re not picking up after yourself at the beach, you’re contributing to turning the beach into a dump. This may sound far fetched, but have you ever walked the beach during the week after a holiday weekend? This summer, preferably after July 4th, drive down to “The Sticks” on Padre Island, just past Corpus Christi; it’s the furthest south you can go from Bob Hall Pier before intering the preserve. Take a walk down the beach and I guarantee you, you will be able to plainly see where RV’s sat over the weekend. In a perfect outline of where they each sat, will be a line of junk and trash and used fireworks, even broken beach chairs, kids toys, broken beer bottles, and other unmentionable items.

… Where Do You Go?

When you leave the beach, everything you choose not to take with you, remains right there where you leave it, for weeks and sometimes months. Sometimes what you leave at the beach never gets picked up by anyone. People walking along the beach get their feet cut on broken beer bottles; vehicles get flat tires. The worst part is knowing that the people who came down south to visit us were so incredibly unappreciative of the beautiful beaches we worked so hard to keep clean for their visit. They left all their trash for us to pick up or just deal with.

Visitors

If you’re visiting South Texas beaches this summer, please please please, take your trash with you.

Locals

If you’re a local who is tired of the beaches being trashed by visitors and other locals, join the Adopt-a-Beach program and help clean it up.

Our Beach Could End Up Like This One

Here are a few pictures from Russia, of a beach in St. Petersburg, to give you an idea of what eventually happens to unkempt beaches.

Do you want to vacation at this beach? … Me either.
Source.

Tunnels are Dangerous

Tunneling in the sand at the beach can kill you or your kids. Digging in the sand at the beach sounds innocent enough, but it’s very dangerous. The most alarming danger is that the sand can easily cave in on top of the person digging it. Tunnels are dug head first, which means the person’s head and arms are going to be inside the tunnel. When the sand falls in on them, they won’t be able to breath or even dig their way out.

Kids Who Died in Sand Tunnels

#1

This 11 year old boy was digging a tunnel at the beach when it caved in on him. His mother was asleep right next to him. She never heard him yell because the sand muffled any noise he may have made. He died right beside her. 11 Year Old Boy Dies in Sand Tunnel

#2

This boy was 14 and also died in a sand tunnel as his mom slept. When she awoke, the boy was buried under 5 feet of sand. She didn’t know this; she thought he’d gone on a walk, so she went for a swim in the ocean. After an hour of her son not returning, the woman asked people to help her find her son; he was found buried a few yards from where she’d been sun bathing. 14 Year Old Boy Dies in Sand Tunnel

#3

This 13 year old boy was found by his own brother, trapped in a sand tunnel he was digging in his back yard in Santa Fe, Texas. This is recent and very close to home. Santa Fe Boy Dies in Tunnel

More Examples

These are only three examples of sand tunnel tragedies. Doing a quick Google search will show you many more examples you can read and even show your children.

Tunnels are a Real Problem

Vehicles Get Stuck and Damaged

Aside from possibly killing you or your kids, tunnels are a problem long after you leave the beach. Even if you put all the sand back into the tunnel, (or giant hole – if you feel the need to build a giant moat around your sandcastle), the sand doesn’t pack down very well. In South Texas, people drive on the beaches very often all year round. It’s very possible for a truck or car to unknowingly drive over your filled-in hole or tunnel, and get stuck. The tire sinks in, the vehicle frame hits the sand, and we have a situation: car stuck in the sand.

People Get Hurt

If your giant hole or tunnel is in a location where driving isn’t allowed, someone is likely to step on the hole and fall in. These nuisances cause sprained ankles and even broken feet.

Tunnels are Traps

When you dig a tunnel at the beach, you are creating a trap. You are the first and most likely victim. If you survive and fill in the hole before you leave the beach, the next most likely victims are other people and vehicles.

Better Ways to Enjoy the Beach

Please don’t dig holes on our beaches. Create sandcastles and other sand sculptures, BBQ, camp out, drink canned beverages, and for crying out loud, take your trash with you. The beach janitors (community service workers and other volunteers) can only clean so much, and there are miles and miles of beach down here. Keeping the beaches clean and hazard free is good for everyone, including you.