On Oct 12, around 200 volunteers and members from HIL Emergency Rescue Team went to Seocheon, which is the center of the West Sea in Korea, for ocean clean-up activity.
Seocheon is a place with abundant natural resources such as mudflat, swamp and Geumgang Estuary Bird Sanctuary. However, the area is polluted by garbage, especially during a heavy rain season because a lot of garbage is floating from the inland through the Geumgang River. Ocean trash has taken 20 million lives of sea birds and 100 thousand lives of marine mammal every year. Synthetic resins, which are broken down to fine particles in the sea water and consumed by fish and shellfish, are discovered in seaweeds and salt.
Ocean Trash, Easy to Throw But Difficult to Collect
HIL Emergency Rescue Team members and volunteers collected garbage stuck between rocks and removed trash from the surface of a dock. At this inclined dock, it was very difficult to collect garbage which was floating on the water. It was tough to move up and down from the dock, carrying trashes. We also had to pay extra attention to safely do it. (Especially, volunteers serving the military were doing this hard work.) Many trashes were tangled and stuck tight in between rocks, which made it even more difficult to collect.
We collected instant ramen containers, big buoy and other Styrofoams, plastic bottles, brooms, baskets, plastics, strings made of synthetic resin, fishing gear, wood, glass bottles and cans.
There Is Trash Even under the Ocean
After collective work, HIL Emergency Rescue Team members started under-water activities. One resident said there would be no trash in the ocean, but there was a plenty of it down there like tires, fishing gear, steel bar and pipes. We collected 10 tons of garbage on that day. In 2017, 95,000 tons of garbage was collected from the ocean in Korea. However, there is still a lot of ocean trash and much of it is sunken or swept far away. It’s hard to guess where such ocean trash is and how much it is. And even if we know where it is, getting it out of the water is really difficult.
To Reduce Ocean Trash
On the ocean, we need to regulate illegal fishing practices and fishing gear usage; develop and distribute biodegradable fishing gear.
On the ocean, we need to regulate illegal fishing practices and fishing gear usage; develop and distribute biodegradable fishing gear.On the ground, tourists who visit beaches and local residents living near the sea often litter or do nothing about ocean trash. Especially during a rainy season, much of ocean trash is swept to the land due to heavy rains or floods. We should not turn a blind eye on waste products and should reduce the usage of plastics in our daily lives.
This clean-up campaign was led by HUMAN IN LOVE and Secheon County and participated by Maryang-ri fishing town, Korea Nazarene University, Buyeo-gun Welfare Center for the Disabled (HIL Buyeo Branch), Korea Midland Power Co., Air Force 8311 Unit and Army Force 8361 Unit. Descente Korea, Happybean and HIL members also supported this campaign. Thank you all for your support.
