Man buries himself in plastic bottles at beach to protest ocean waste
A man just spent 8 hours buried up to his neck in thousands of used plastic bottles. The reason why will make you think twice about your next drink.
Making waves with waste
Environmental activist James Morton chose a unique way to grab attention at California's Venice Beach yesterday. Instead of holding signs or giving speeches, he became part of the problem – literally.
Morton convinced volunteers to bury him in over 3,000 discarded plastic bottles collected from local beaches and waterways.
"Each bottle here represents just seconds of convenience for someone," Morton explained. "But these bottles last hundreds of years in our oceans."
The shocking numbers
Americans use about 50 billion plastic water bottles every year. Most end up in landfills or the ocean.
Only about 9% of plastic gets recycled. The rest becomes waste or pollution.
Marine animals often mistake floating plastic for food. This leads to injury, starvation, and death.
A different approach
Morton isn't your typical protestor. He runs a successful recycling business in San Diego.
"I'm not against plastic or business," he said. "I just want people to think about better ways to handle waste."
His company works with local restaurants to collect and properly recycle their plastic waste.
The buried truth
So why bury himself in bottles? Morton finally revealed his deeper message after emerging from his plastic prison.
"People walk by beach cleanup events all the time," he explained. "But when they see a guy buried in trash, they stop. They ask questions. They think about their own habits."
"We're all buried in this problem whether we see it or not. I just made it visible."
Morton's stunt attracted hundreds of onlookers. Many signed up for his monthly beach cleanup program.
Local business owners also pledged to reduce single-use plastics in their shops.
Sometimes the best way to clean up a mess is to jump right into it – or in Morton's case, get buried in it.
