Last Thursday I finally managed to dip my toes in the sand. Better late than never, some of you might think. I woke up around four in the morning and waited on the shore for sunrise. When the sun peaked over the horizon, I was in awe. The view was terrific, as the dawn was painted with thousands of shades of pink. But, despite the dreamy atmosphere, my eyes caught a shocking view: the coastline was studded with plastic. Empty bottles, remains of toys, cups and many more objects were just laying there, scattered between the waves and the wet dunes.

Filled with mixed emotions, I started picking up every piece of trash I could find, and threw them all in a bin. Each time I bent over, I mumbled not-so-nice-things against those who didn’t care about disposing of the waste. I kept going until the lifeguard, who heard me mutter, simply shrugged: “Miss, nobody cares.”