Plastic Reduction

Keep our waterways clean and litter free!

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats facing our coastal habitats.  Coastal Connections, Inc. is working hard to spread awareness about the harms of single use plastic on our coastal ecosystems, provide eco-friendly alternatives for them, and guide the public on how they can make simple life changes to reduce their plastic footprint.

With new technologies emerging daily, plastic alternative products are on the rise. The hard part is determining where to start looking to find the best product from the best company. Coastal Connections has vetted and listed a number of plastic alternative options for straws, utensils, cups, lids, bowls, take out containers, and bags. To make your decision to go plastic free even easier we have provided pictures, the average price/unit website links, and specialty discount codes from partnering businesses.

View Our 2020 Plastic Alternatives Catalog

Plastic Pollution Facts:

  • 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled in the United States
  • 14 bags equal the amount of gas for a car to drive 1 mile
  • 100,000 marine mammals are killed by plastics each year
  • 12,000,000 barrels of oil are used to produce plastic bags for Americans each year

Here in Vero Beach, plastic waste is found in the stomach of practically every turtle investigated by Coastal Connections. As a community we cannot ignore this plight. Our seas cannot absorb our plastic waste and our marine life cannot digest it. Learn more at VeroGoesZero.com

Coastal Cleanups

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We will be coordinating four quarterly coastal cleanups, plus hosting the International Coastal Cleanup event in Indian River County, throughout the year. Each cleanup will include a short presentation about plastic pollution, and a 30min-1hr cleanup session. At the end, all debris will be recorded in the app CleanSwell, where we can keep track of the type, amount, and weight of all debris we have removed from our shores. If you would like to request a special cleanup for your school or organization please connect with us

Refuse, Reuse, Recycle

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We promote the use of reusable materials to reduce and remove single use plastics from our environment. CCinc is pioneering this effort in Indian River by providing reusable water bottles, shopping bags and straws.  We ask you to join us in being more environmentally friendly by using reusable or ecofriendly straws, bags and bottles

Beach Basket Litter Pickup

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CCinc has partnered with local municipalities to install and monitor the blue beach basket program. These baskets are located at the entrance to public beach parks (and some private businesses) and are free to use by patrons of the beach park. We encourage you to clean up trash during your beach visit and dispose of that debris when returning the basket to the stand for others to use.

Plastic Alternatives

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CCinc works with small local businesses in Vero Beach to eliminate the use of single use plastics. We offer VGZ Business Partners FREE plastic alternatives and collect survey data from business patrons about their willingness to use these plastic alternatives. All data collected is provided to the business to support long-term sustainable and environmentally friendly business decisions.

What is the Problem with Single Use Plastic?

Human Safety

Plastic pollution poses a health threat to humans, as the fish/animals we eat consume it, and passes along to us.

Wildlife Welfare

Plastic is often mistaken as food by marine animals/sea birds, causing starvation from lack of nutrition. Animals also become entangled in plastic debris, causing birds to be unable to fly, and animals such as sea turtles to drown or lose limbs from lack of circulation.

Tourism/Beach Beautification

Coastal locations often rely heavily on their environment for tourism. If our beaches are littered with plastic, humans won’t be able to fully enjoy these destinations, and may be deterred, causing problems for communities that rely on eco-tourism..

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A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State.

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