7 Ways to Care for the Outer Banks Environment

By Teresa Otto on Sep. 19, 2024

During a recent visit to the Outer Banks, one small thing seemed absent at almost every restaurant where I ate. After three days, I finally asked a server at Avenue Grille in Manteo where the straws had gone.

She explained that, several years back, many cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops across the Outer Banks quit automatically providing straws with beverages. The “Skip the Straw” effort caught on quickly, and the push to reduce single use plastics soon moved beyond restaurants. The spotless beaches and tidy public areas suddenly made perfect sense. At Food Lion, paper bags are available. Sal’s New York Pizza uses biodegradable takeout containers. Trio Outer Banks and Kill Devil Grill skip the straws. They are among many ocean-friendly local businesses helping protect the Outer Banks’ valued natural resources.

All along the coast, the shared aim is to keep trash of all types — especially plastics — off the sand, out of the water, and away from marine wildlife. The effort is grassroots, with strong support from the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) and the North Carolina Aquarium of Roanoke Island. A post-lunch stop at the aquarium made the message immediate. Designed for visitors of every age, an educational display described research in which scientists examined the waste of 25 green sea turtles and found that all 25 had consumed plastic. The sea turtle hospital encounters the consequences of swallowed plastics directly. You can also read more about the 5 Types of Sea Turtles that visit the OBX.

Photo by Heather Raulerson

While you’re here, these 7 practices can help keep the Outer Banks clean, beautiful, and safe for everyone who lives here.

1. Say No to the Straw

The “Be Straw Free” campaign started in Vermont in 2011. At the time, 9-year-old Milo Cress calculated that Americans were using about 500 million straws per day. To make that amount easier to picture, he estimated that 500 million straws would be enough to fill 127 school buses.

Cress’s “Be Straw Free” campaign asked restaurant servers to provide straws only when guests wanted them instead of placing them in every drink by default. Several years later, local businesses embraced the idea, and the “Skip the Straw” campaign took shape.

After plastic bags, bits of plastic straws rank as the second most common ocean pollutant swallowed by sea turtles. Because plastic straws are also petroleum-based products, there are two strong reasons to pass on them. You can help by declining a plastic straw, choosing a paper straw, or packing a reusable metal or bamboo straw for your trip.

Photo by Gail Clifford

2. Steer Clear of Single Use Plastics

Single-use plastics cover a wide range of items, including paper coffee cups and Styrofoam takeaway containers. Yes, paper coffee cups contain a plastic lining, and in the U.S. we discard 50 billion cups away in the U.S. each year.

Save a little room in your luggage for a reusable water bottle, insulated coffee mug, reusable straw, and bamboo silverware. Collapsible water bottles are available online. And if you often have leftovers but dislike wasting good food, bring a lidded collapsible silicone food container. It will come in handy in the Outer Banks, where generous servings of fresh, perfectly prepared food are common.

3. Bring Reusable Bags

Here is another estimate: Americans go through about 10 billion plastic bags a year. Around the globe, 160,000 plastic bags are used every second of every day.

When a plastic bag misses the recycling bin or trash can, wind can quickly carry it into the water. Among the trash that reaches the ocean, plastic bags are the item sea turtles are most likely to eat. To a hungry turtle, a drifting plastic bag can look like a jellyfish meal.

If shopping is part of your visit, pack a reusable bag from home or purchase one as a souvenir. You can also leave your reusable bag behind in your vacation rental when you depart so the next guest can help protect the Outer Banks, too.

4. Recycle the Way Locals Do

When you use single-use plastic food containers, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, or paper bags, place them in recycling bins. If your hotel or vacation rental doesn’t have a recycling container, recycling centers are available in Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo, and on Hatteras.

Recycling rules differ from place to place, including within the Outer Banks. Here, pizza boxes, waxed cartons, wet paper, plastic bags, and Styrofoam are not recycled. Check local specifics before you toss.

5. Carry Out What You Carry In

When your beach day ends at any Outer Banks beach, take everything with you, including your trash. If you notice litter, pick it up as well and carry it out. On beaches where dogs are allowed, check the dog-friendly beach information and clean up after your pooch.

6. Move Gently Through the Landscape

Stewardship can also mean changing how you get around. Walk or bike instead of driving when your destination is nearby. Choose eco-friendly activities. Think about a walking tour in historic Manteo, a coastal horseback ride with Equine Adventures on Hatteras Island, or a sunset sail with Dan and Katherine Bottjen of Sail Outer Banks.

To make an even bigger difference, reach the beach using boardwalks and go around dunes rather than crossing over them. Dunes may not look delicate, but they are easily damaged. Foot traffic can destroy sea grass and weaken the protective barrier dunes create for nearby buildings and streets.

7. Take Home More Than You Brought

This final suggestion comes without chores or gloomy statistics. Instead, it is the Outer Banks’ gift to you: happy memories, satisfying meals, and an open invitation to return soon. We hope you accept.

Author

Teresa Otto is a freelance travel writer and photographer. She has been fortunate enough to visit all seven continents. When she is not exploring the world, she works as waitress and housekeeper for two rescued cats and a dog.

Visit the 7 Ways to be a Good Steward of the Environment page →