The tide pools on a rocky Oʻahu shoreline should be teeming with life. But a TikTok video shows them choked with a dense, confetti-like soup of plastic waste.

The images are depressing, showing a natural paradise in which the crevices of dark volcanic rock are filled with the toxic remnants of our throwaway culture.

The video, by Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi (@coasthuggers), left viewers heartbroken. Its caption is simple and direct: "Uncut footage of the impact we're seeing on our coastlines today."

@coasthuggers Uncut footage of the impact we're seeing on our coastlines today. #sustainablecoastlineshawaii #coasthuggers #cleanyobeach #plasticpollution #cleanup #upstreamsolutions #plasticpollutioneducation #fwsvolunteers ♬ original sound - SC Hawai'i

In the clip, a woman reaches into the water and brings up a handful of plastic shards, showing just how thoroughly the pollution has replaced sand and shells.

What you're seeing are microplastics, tiny pieces of degraded plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. And this isn't an isolated problem. A study of Oʻahu's beaches found shocking densities of these particles, with some areas containing over 1,700 pieces per square meter.

The problem is so severe that another location in Hawaiʻi is infamously known as "plastic beach." This pollution is a direct threat to human health as well as to marine life, which can easily mistake colorful plastic bits for food.

FROM OUR PARTNER

Find the best HVAC solution to heat and cool your home more efficiently

Mitsubishi Electric’s efficient heating and cooling HVAC solutions can help you stay comfortable no matter the weather or region. You can even regulate temperatures in each room with individually controlled all-electric heat pump systems.

With an energy-efficient, all-climate system from Mitsubishi, you can reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home, receive up to $2,000 in tax credits, and get peace of mind knowing you’re choosing rigorously tested, high-quality products.

The problem is even bigger than what the video shows, too. One study showed how the tiniest microplastics are now hundreds of thousands of times more common than we realized. A different report shows how even smaller particles, called nanoplastics, have been found in the ocean in staggering amounts, with an estimated 27 million tons in the North Atlantic Ocean alone.

This leads to the question of cleanup. Thankfully, innovators are already tackling this challenge. In Hawaiʻi, a team of engineering students tested a prototype machine called the Hoʻōla One, a giant vacuum designed to suck microplastics from the sand, the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources reported. As marine biologist Megan Lamson Leatherman put it, it's the "closest and most innovative project" yet.

Another study detailed how researchers are creating advanced filters capable of removing over 80% of microplastics from water.

You can help the cause by reducing plastic use at home. Since everyone is a part of the problem, we must all be a part of the solution.