Volunteers broke the record for the amount of plastic collected at South Padre Island this past weekend.
Sea Turtle Inc held a recycling event. They say, on average, one out of every six sea turtles they rescue is hurt from plastic in the Gulf.
Last year, Sea Turtle Inc. collected 780 plastic bags and 14 pounds of water bottles. Officials say, on Sunday, they have collected more than that.
So far, they have already treated over 100 injured or sick sea turtles this year. Yearly, they usually treat anywhere from 75 to 100 sea turtles.
“We have had our highest number of patients recorded in history coming through our facility, and we still have a month and a half left,” Sea Turtle Inc. Environmental Education Taylor Dunham said.
We can do our part to help by throwing away our trash or using reusable bags and water bottles.