Earth Week Afloat

On Earth Day I got out on the Merrimack River launching from Cashman Park in Newburyport, MA just upstream from the Route 1 Bridge...

Crossed-over to the Salisbury side of the river in search of shelter from the stiff westerly breeze.  An eagle on Ram Island watched from his perch...

Behind the island entered Town Creek...

A deer watched my approach into one of the side channels...

This saltwater tolerant turtle paid me no mind...

On Wednesday a stretch of the Assabet River was paddled in Stow, MA...

 

Plenty of activity at the riverside eagles nest:

One adult eagle in the nest (hopefully with an eaglet or two)...

...and the other adult "Dark Eyes" on a tree nearby...

Post-paddle made a short hike to this historical marker on a hillside overlooking the river...

It serves as testament to how badly things were going between the settlers and the Native Americans in early 1676.

On Thursday I drove to Harvard, MA where this view of Mount Wachusett was seen on the road leading to the boat launch at Oxbow N.W.R...

Once launched I headed downriver...

Passed by this evidence of someone's probably bad day on the river...

Also saw clusters of trash such as this one caught behind downed trees at bends in the river...

...left behind by the receding water levels.

The week's flotsam:

From the Merrimack River on Earth Day...

...which included 17 "nip" bottles and 3 Hooksett Disks.

From the Assabet River on Wednesday... 

...which included 6 "nip" bottles and a 1-gallon plastic (PET) jug on the riverbank that disintegrated into many small pieces as soon as I touched it.  There was also a paper bag full of trash someone left behind a tree at the launch site.

From the Nashua River on Thursday...

...which included 105 "nip" bottles.

At one point in my paddle on the Assabet River a helicopter circled overhead several times...

I believe it was WCVB-TV possibly filming some of the apple orchards that were facing possible freeze damage over the last few days. 

 

At Earth Week's conclusion I'm left to wonder if a more targeted 'Bottle Bill' might solve much of the litter/microplastics problem.  With many folks having access to curbside recycling programs at their homes these days their empty beverage containers don't usually end up as litter.  On the other hand, it's becoming more and more apparent to me that most of the litter that I encounter comes from folks out and about and "on the go".  Beverages are purchased "cold" and consumed away from home...and subsequently many of these containers end up on the ground, in the shrubbery, or in the river.

  

Therefore, how about having a 10-cent deposit on only those non-alcoholic beverage containers sold "cold" from refrigerated cabinets...exempting containers sold non-refrigerated.   

All "nip" bottles would have a 10-cent deposit regardless of temperature.

Is such a program feasible?  Implementing such a plan would require the cooperation of manufacturers and merchants.  Would they do so in an effort to help stem the proliferation of litter/microplastics?  Would consumers also be willing to cooperate?  I sure would.  Just my 2-cents.