Sea Turtle Inc. offering free admission to visitors who participate in recycling event
A special event is taking place at Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island.
The goal is to teach people about the devastating effects plastic has on wildlife. Visitors can get free admission this weekend if they bring in a plastic bag or an empty plastic water bottle.
HEB partnered with Sea Turtle Inc. for this three-day event known as Texas Recycles Day. They are paying admission for visitors who bring in any recyclable plastic.
Sea Turtle Inc. wants to keep raising awareness about plastic pollution in beaches and oceans. The non-profit's conservation efforts on South Padre Island are year round.
About 60 percent of the turtles they rescue have to be nursed back to health because of damage done by the amount of plastic in the ocean. The turtles get tangled in some kind of net or eat the plastic they find.
Experts are worried about the start of nesting season next year. They are keeping an eye on the amount of trash they are finding on the island.
"So our team goes in and helps relocate them to a safe area. A problem that we are noticing is that a lot of these eggs are already damaged because of the amount of plastic in the sand. Which prevents us from being able to protect them," Sea Turtle Inc. Supervisor Taylor Dunham said.
Visitors will be able to see some of the turtles who were rescued at the facility and check out their conservation efforts in real time at their hospital.
Anyone can stop by Sea Turtle Inc. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.