Earlier this year, Algalita conducted a campus waste audit with 30 students at McGaugh Elementary. The goal of the waste audit was to see how much plastic trash McGaugh students generate during lunch. The results showed that the students create about 288 pounds of waste every day. It was also found that students throw away over 3,000 pieces of single use plastics daily, which amounts to almost half a million pieces every year.
Following the waste audit, Algalita worked with the students to create a Public Service Announcement to encourage their classmates to reduce their use of single use plastic.
The PSA was aired on Earth Day, April 22, and on the following Friday, April 29, another waste audit was conducted. Because of the PSA, McGaugh students were able to reduce their lunch waste by 40 percent.
You can check out the PSA here:Â McGaugh PSA
About Algalita:
Algalita is a Long Beach based nonprofit committed to the protection and improvement of the marine environment.