Green sea turtles are no longer considered endangered.

Thanks to conservation efforts, wildlife experts at Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island are helping lead the way.

Ten-year-old Dante Castillo has always been fascinated by sea turtles. On Sunday, he and his family visited Sea Turtle Inc.

"Some turtles can get hurt by trash, other animals or even by us," Castillo said. "So we got to help, so when I started learning about it, I just really started putting trash where it's supposed to go, to recycling stuff."

They're helping make a difference, one piece of plastic at a time.

"So we actually brought plastic bottles and bags because we actually do recycle at home," Sea Turtle Inc. visitor Virginia Vasquez said.

As part of their rescue efforts, Sea Turtle Inc. makes it a point to educate the community about the benefits of recycling every year.

"It's a great initiative and I know they have been here for quite some time, and they've done a lot of work whether it's been from protecting the release of the turtles or rehabilitating them," Vasquez said.

Over the weekend, Sea Turtle Inc. broke the record for the amount of plastic collected by visitors.

"This weekend we have collected more than what we did last year, right now, based on our admissions numbers. Last year, we had over 780 plastic bags as well as over 14 pounds of plastic water bottles for people coming in doors," Sea Turtle Inc. Environmental Director Taylor Dunham said.

Dunham says that, on average, one out of every six sea turtles they rescue are hurt after being trapped by plastic in the Gulf of Mexico. They've also found traces of plastic inside the turtles.

It's a problem that also affects their nesting season.

"And they will start to eat it, and they will get sick from it, because it will get stuck in their system because they're not able to digest it," Dunham said. "They can grow very ill, they'll lose weight, and they wash up on our shore and there is a chance they may or may not be rescued."

This year alone, they've responded to over 500 calls on the island about stranded sea turtles. On average, they treat anywhere from 75 to 100 sea turtles.

As of this month, they've helped rescue and nurse more than 100 turtles back to health.

"We have had our highest number of patients recorded in history coming through our facility, and we still have a month and a half left," Dunham said.

Wildlife experts say something, as small as switching to reusable bags and water bottles makes a big impact.

Watch the video above for the full story.