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King Tide Storms Litter Beaches With Rainbow of Trash

The storms that arrived with the King Tide on Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15, flushed huge amounts of plastic pollution out of the Bay and onto land. In some areas, such as along the paved trails on the ferry terminal side of the Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point, the storm reminded us that we have a huge plastic pollution problem right here in the San Francisco Bay.

Alameda Post - at a corner of Seaplane Lagoon where the water and ground meet, a pile of debris sits. The pile includes driftwood, as well as a rainbow of colored plastic pieces all throughout it.
One example of the plastic litter heaved up onto the shore during last weekend’s storms. Photo Richard Bangert.

Possibly the worst plastic contaminant of all is polystyrene, commonly referred to by the trade name Styrofoam. The sheer scale of the pernicious problem of degrading Styrofoam products in our waterways was displayed like a communique from Mother Nature saying, “Here’s your garbage back.”

Styrofoam breaks down into microplastics that do not biodegrade and can be ingested by marine life.



There are two types of manufactured polystyrene products. One is utilized for food containers, the other for a variety of uses. Much focus has been on stopping Styrofoam pollution caused by takeout food containers, a thinly compressed material. The problem lends itself to local and state ordinance-based solutions like those enacted in Alameda.

Alameda Post - in a pile of sticks and driftwood, lots of small colorful plastic pieces are mixed in
Plastic gumbo delivered to the shoreline during last weekend’s storms. Photo Richard Bangert.
Alameda Post - along the bike trail at Seaplane Lagoon, a large strip of white material is visible. It almost looks like snow.
White material on bike trail is Styrofoam pellets washed up from the Seaplane Lagoon on December 14. Photo Richard Bangert.

The Styrofoam pellets that washed up onto land during last weekend’s storms, however, were mostly the type of Styrofoam used in packing material, foam boards for insulation, ice chests, and boating-related floatation equipment. This type of Styrofoam is much harder to regulate. It is a form of polystyrene that is expanded in a steam and gas process that ends up making the pellets mostly air.

All Styrofoam breaks apart easily. It eventually ends up in tiny particles called microplastics that can take over 500 years to break down. It can leach toxic chemicals into the environment. It’s made from petroleum, is mostly air and, therefore, is difficult to recycle. Also, among the human litter displayed along the shoreline is the more common hard plastic found in everyday consumer products that missed its chance to be recycled. Separating the colorful plastic gumbo from the woody debris appears to be a nearly impossible task at this point.

Alameda Post - Styrofoam pellets mixed into rocks and dirt and wood

Alameda Post - along the ground, styrofoam pellets are littered
Styrofoam pellets washed up onshore during last weekend’s storms. Photos Richard Bangert.

Contributing writer Richard Bangert posts stories and photos about environmental issues on his blog Alameda Point Environmental Report. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Richard-Bangert.


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