The amount of waste in the world’s oceans is increasing at a rapid pace, with much of it cluttering the seabed and clogging up the stomachs of sea creatures. With Earth Day on April 22, citizens worldwide will be working hard to sustain our planet. For divers, it brings an opportunity to ensure the world’s waterways and oceans stand a fighting chance against increasing numbers of debris and waste.

The statistics speak for themselves. More than a million plastic bags are used worldwide every minute, with estimates pointing toward 250 metric tons ending up in the ocean by 2025.

About 70 percent of marine debris ends up on the sea floor, which means everything else is free reign for marine creatures to ingest. Plastic has been found in animals ranging from mussels to whales. A study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia estimates that by the year 2050, about 99 percent of seabirds will have consumed some kind of plastic.

The Ocean Conservancy’s 2015 Trash Free Seas report recorded 440 fish entangled in marine waste. These numbers were a part of the 2014 International Coastal Cleanup.

Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris program enables divers to take to the seas to organize their own cleanup events wherever there’s water. Divers can choose to head into the water with a buddy or organize a team of volunteers. Locate a Dive Against Debris program near you to join in on the effort.