Volunteers from all across Indian River County gathered for the 40th International Coastal Cleanup, a global initiative led by the Ocean Conservancy and hosted locally by Coastal Connections.
The annual event, heralded as the world’s largest annual cleanup, states that through its efforts, the ICC has “harnessed the power of people to fight ocean trash.”
Over the past four decades, more than 18 million volunteers have collected and properly disposed of 380 million pounds of trash.
The impact of this year’s event locally was both astonishing and disheartening.
More than 1,000 volunteers from community service organizations, businesses, schools and environmental agencies gloved up and got to work, removing 4,064 pounds of debris from a record-breaking 25 locations along the waterways and coastlines of Indian River County.
Armed with buckets, bags and bins, the volunteers removed a record-breaking 43,043 individual pieces of trash from the environment, according to Kendra Bergman, founder and executive director of Coastal Connections, who called the statistic “a scary yet exciting” one to break.
Among the most common items collected were cigarette butts, foam, and hard plastics, more than half of which were microplastics, including plastic bottle caps and plastic film, all of which are harmful to marine life, animals and humans alike.
Bergman noted that the cleanup is more than just a single day of action, it’s a fundamental part of local conservation efforts.
“The international coastal cleanup is one of the best ways that we can truly come together as a single community for one cause, and that is cleaner coastlines,” said Bergman, adding that these coastal cleanups have contributed to the sea turtle “conservation success story.”
“Cleaner coastlines mean a healthier environment, and a more attractive place for us to live,” said Bergman.
After the hard work was done, participants headed over to Walking Tree Brewery, where they enjoyed live music by Ricky Ray, and a celebratory awards ceremony that recognized the most impactful teams.
The Willow School was awarded “Green Team Spirit” for its impressive 60-member team. Indian River Distillery took home the “Trashiest Location” award, having collected an average of 60.28 pounds of debris per person, totaling 904.22 pounds.
The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County won the “Trashy Treasure Trophy” for an unusual find, a square grouper, aka a brick of cocaine, discovered at Round Island Beach Park.
The event also raised crucial funds to “support our mission of advancing the survival of sea turtles here in Indian River County,” said Bergman, thanking the community for its support, dedication and hard work.
For more information, visit Coastal-Connections.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
