Winding through the last of the sharp turns of Highway 17, you’re now only a few short moments away from the iconic Northern California beaches. Windows down, the distinct ocean breeze drifts into the car as the sun beams through, only one thing could make this better: iced coffee. You stop at one of Santa Cruz’s beloved coffee shops and order, then take your iced cold brew to add sugar and milk before grabbing a lid and straw, but they appear to be all out. The barista replies that they don’t carry plastic straws since the city of Santa Cruz banned them in 2017, but luckily they have a fresh supply of compostable ones that she grabs from the back.

In efforts to reduce the disgustingly large, ever growing amount of trash in the oceans, Santa Cruz – along with various other cities along the coast – have enacted new laws prohibiting restaurants from using plastic straws and utensils; they now have to provide compostable alternatives. Starting this year, a state-wide law went into effect, banning all restaurants in California from giving out plastic straws unless customers ask for one, taking aim at reducing the immense amount of waste polluting the ocean. “It is a very small step to make a customer who wants a plastic straw ask for it,” then-Governor Jerry Brown said. “And it might make them pause and think again about an alternative. But one thing is clear, we must find ways to reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastic products.”

To us, straws are simply a tool to sip drinks on the go, but to turtles, they are a danger that threatens to get stuck in their nostrils and cause tremendous harm. California’s initiatives gained a grassroots following after videos surfaced of sea turtles with straws stuck in their nostrils. The heartbreaking clips show how our discarded plastic trash is endangering sea life. Environment California reported that “the California Coastal Commission says during organized coast clean-ups, people picked up roughly 835,425 straws/stirrers between 1988 and 2014.”

Although California is heading in the right direction, straws are only part of this global catastrophe. All kinds of trash have made their way to every crevice and corner of the world, as demonstrated by a massive collection of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between California and Hawaii. According to The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning up the oceans, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch “covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.” Not only is The Great Pacific Garbage Patch appallingly gigantic, but it is also only one of five garbage patches in the oceans.

From turtles getting stuck in the plastic rings that once held sodas to whales ingesting dozens of pounds of trash, unintentionally eating their way to death, trash in the oceans can harm all kinds of marine life. California cannot combat this problem alone; everyone needs to do their part in order to make a dent in restoring our oceans and saving marine life. Whether it’s through volunteering to clean up beaches, recycling your plastics or simply sipping straight out of your cup rather than using a straw, there are endless ways anyone can help make a difference.