Hundreds of volunteers did more than “talk” some trash to help News4Jax and Beaches Go Green give three spots around the Jacksonville area a clean slate.
Volunteers picked up litter at three sites throughout the community.
“We think it is so great," volunteer Blakely Rowe said. "We think it is important to give back, especially when everybody around here is pretty local, and following the wintertime, it is always such a mess, so we think it is pretty awesome.”
Nease High student Allie Leonard said it was surprising they found as much trash as they did, since it’s the offseason and the beaches aren’t filled with tourists.
“We found quite a bit,” she added.
Here’s a breakdown at what was found at the sites:
Atlantic Beach: 319 volunteers; 11,247 cigarette butts; 19 bags of trash; six bags of recycling.
Jacksonville: 459 volunteers; 9,562 cigarette butts; 16 bags of trash; four bags of recycling with two garden snakes (released).
Ponte Vedra Beach: 300 volunteers; 1,350 cigarette butts; 25 bags of trash; four tires; car parts; construction debris.
By county, Duval County had 778 volunteers -- and 20,809 cigarette butts, 35 bags of trash and 10 bags of recycling were collected and cleaned up.
In St. Johns County, there were 300 volunteers, and 1,350 cigarette butts and 25 bags of trash were collected.
Some of what the volunteers found was surprising, too. The group at the Mickler Beach Access Point in Ponte Vedra Beach hauled in a car bumper. Check it out here.
And another interesting find among the hundreds of pounds of litter, plastic and cigarette butts? A set of false teeth.
Groups met at the Atlantic Boulevard Beach Access in Atlantic Beach and at Oceanfront Park in Jacksonville Beach. Despite the chilly morning, volunteers rolled up their sleeves (so to speak) and pitched in. Some even earned prizes for various milestones (like the most cigarette butts collected).
“We’re making a difference together and having fun, and it’s simple,” said volunteer Samantha Ryan with Sisters of the Sea.
While the cleanup was fun for those involved, Beaches Go Green founder Anne Marie Moquin pointed out that the need to keep things clean is very serious.
“A lot of the litter in this area ends up washing and blowing into sensitive marine environments like the ocean and waterways, so it is super important to keep our town center, parking lots and sidewalks clean as much as it is the beach,” Moquin said.
Like the recent food drive, this cleanup is part of News4Jax's Positively Jax campaign, an ongoing effort to make Jacksonville a better place to live through random acts of kindness and other good deeds.
Sign up and join the Positively Jax movement on PositivelyJax.com.
There you can share your good deeds, learn more about what News4JAX and others are doing to help the community and also receive updates about upcoming opportunities to make a difference.