N Depth Scuba - Project Aware Cleanup Day @ Saguaro Lake
Splash for Trash: International Cleanup Day 20 September 2008

How You Can Get Involved: 
 Volunteer 
Underwater Volunteers - Contact N Depth Scuba at 480-899-3483 or online at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We will provide transportation on our buses, hotdogs and Hamburgers, water and soda. Divers will need to sign a Liability release form for transportation and diving. We will provide tanks. Rental gear is available for $10.00 per set for this event.

Be an AWARE Diver
Divers and Water Enthusiasts– Marine debris issues will only be solved by making a year-round effort. Be an AWARE Diver by setting a good example. Retrieve underwater rubbish, secure your gear and keep your distance from reefs and other fragile environments and underwater life. Earn your "Project Aware" card during this event for just $19.99.

About International Cleanup Day
Project AWARE Foundation spearheads global underwater cleanups during International Cleanup Day and year round. This annual volunteer event addresses the devastating impact of marine debris on the aquatic environment.
Project AWARE empowers dive centers and individuals to clean the world’s oceans, lakes, rivers and shorelines. Volunteers take part in practical cleanup solutions and collect data which is vital for change.

International Cleanup Day is held annually on the 3rd Saturday in September but cleanup and data collection activities are supported by Project AWARE, partners and volunteers on an ongoing basis.

In 2007 a total of 358,617 recorded volunteers helped Project AWARE clean 34,560 miles of shoreline and remove seven million pounds of rubbish.

Did You Know?

• About 230 million tons of trash is generated per year in the United States alone. Less than a quarter of that is recycled.
• Humans generate waste faster than it can be broken down and use up resources faster than they can be replaced.
  
• Two million plastic beverage bottles are used in the US every five minutes. 60,000 plastic bags are used in the US every five seconds. 106,000 aluminium cans are used in the US every thirty seconds.
  
• Six million tons of debris enters the world's oceans every year.
  
• Approximately 80 percent of trash in our oceans and waterways comes from land – via wind and run-off from city streets and highways. About 20 percent of aquatic debris is generated from ships including floats and fishing gear.
  
• Nearly 90 percent of all marine debris is plastic. To date, plastic outweighs zooplankton 6:1.
  
• An estimated 46,000 pieces of plastic litter alone are floating on every square mile of ocean – 70 percent of which will eventually sink.
  
• The average person uses about 200 pounds of plastic in a year. Plastic industry experts expect that number to increase to 300 by the end of the decade.
  
• Each year, 15 billion pounds of plastics are produced in the US alone. Only 1 billion pounds are recycled.
  Plastics do not biodegrade. When plastic debris meets water it remains for centuries – breaking down slowly into smaller fragments and finally into plastic dust.
  
• Aluminum cans take up to 100 years to degrade and 6-pack holder rings 450 years.
  
• It takes glass bottles one million years to biodegrade in the natural environments.
  
• Entanglement and ingestion of fishing line, nets, rope and other debris has been reported in more than 260 animal species worldwide.
  
• An estimated 100,000 marine mammals including dolphins, whales, seals and sea turtles choke or get tangled in debris every year.
  
• Nearly 8 million items of debris weighing 7 million pounds were collected by about 35,000 volunteers worldwide during International Cleanup Day 2006.
  
• Nearly 300 species of defenseless wildlife suffers unnecessarily due to dangerous debris.
  
• More than 1 million seabirds are killed by aquatic litter each year.
  
• 86 percent of all sea turtles are affected by marine debris.