Spring is here, and summer is close. Large crowds will be visiting very soon and daily, and I’d like to get ahead of the significant littering problem that we have here on our island.
I stopped regular summer walks on the beach years ago because the trash was so overwhelming and, because I couldn’t stand the sight of it, I was spending hours picking it up during what should’ve been a short walk on the beach. Last year, I started picking up trash on a busy route - Station 22 1/2 beach path/boardwalk and its beach area over to the Station 22 boardwalk/beach path. I also started picking up the easements near this area. Over time, I noticed that people left less litter when these areas were pristine. I don’t have the time or the energy to pick up the entire beach, but this short circuit is very do-able.
There are more than 30 stations on our island. What if we had a volunteer or volunteers from each station regularly checking their closest beach path and its section of the beach? I think this would be very efficient and effective. But I’d like to know what you think.
I am currently researching/working on ideas to present to Town Council. Your ideas and suggestions are welcome and needed, too. Please get in touch. The email for this project is NoTrashonSI@gmail.com. If you are already doing some volunteer picking up, I’d love to know who you are and where your “circuit” is.
Kudos to Joe Henderson, who has been a great help. He sends folks out to pick up what I can’t reach (i.e., beachgoers are throwing lots of trash off the boardwalks and into our beautiful landscapes). I know that Poe’s rewards customers who bring a small bucket of trash in and that volunteer groups come through on occasion. These are a great help, but not enough to keep our beautiful island pristine.
I absolutely love Sullivan’s Island and know that all of you do, too. So let’s get fired up, join our neighbors, and have some fun showing our special island some TLC.
Camilla Tezza
Atlantic Avenue
Sullivans Island