In spite of the wicked weather the day (and week) before, we had fantastic participation for an Earth Day week Grant Park Beach cleanup this year. 76 adults and 26 kids stuffed bags full of cigarette butts, plastic and glass bottles, food wrappers and aluminum cans, along with some shotgun wadding washed up on the beach. Weirdest thing collected was a soggy sofa cushion. Yuk!

Q. What item takes 450 or more years to decompose in the landfill?

A. Plastic bottles never truly disappear, they break down to smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics, which can enter the drinking water supply.

We reduced our plastic bag purchases for this event by reusing large plastic bag trash from 25# bags of bird seed, potting soil and salt; and we recycled glass bottles and aluminum cans. And we offered drinking water to participants from a reusable stainless steel jug. Earth day should be every day!