Page 5 - Martin Downs Bulletin - December '22

Martin Downs, Page 5
Community happeningS
Keep Martin Beautiful
Volunteers Remove More
Than 40,000 Pieces Of Litter
And Marine Debris As Part Of
International Coastal Cleanup
Keep Martin Beautiful’s International Coastal Cleanup
inspired more than 1,000 Martin County residents to take action
to help improve the quality of our beaches and waterways.
Volunteers from a cross section of the community joined forces
on a rainy Saturday morning on Sept. 17 and removed more
than 40,000 pieces of litter and marine debris from local rivers,
beaches, parks and waterways throughout Martin County.
“Thanks to the data collection app our volunteers have been
using over the past few years, we are able to gather meaningful
The LaBar Family participates in the International Coastal
Cleanup efforts at Stuart Beach.
See answer in this paper. com/keepmartinbeautiful, visit KeepMartinBeautiful.org or
From left: Marilyn Gavitt, Mark Gavitt, Farah Daye, Kathy
Kernan, Kris Kerr and Jack Daye (kneeling) take to the
spoil islands as part of the International Coastal Cleanup
in Martin County.
These volunteers from the Roberts family prove that even
the tiniest of hands can make a difference in our community
beach cleanup efforts.
data each year about what our volunteers are picking up,” said
Craig Ahal, Keep Martin Beautiful president. “As always, the
biggest litter culprit is cigarette butts.”
More than 8,500 cigarette butts were found strewn about
Martin County’s beaches and parks, representing about 21
percent of all the trash collected by item. A typical cigarette
butt can take up to 10 years to decompose. Other large
contributors to litter and marine debris in Martin County
included nearly 2,500 plastic bottle caps, more than 500
plastic bottles, and nearly 700 plastic bags.
This year, the most unusual items found included fake
plants, a mascara tube, clothing, and an umbrella.
“Some of our volunteer groups have been participating
in our annual Coastal Cleanup for more than a decade,” said
Tiffany Kincaid, executive director of Keep Martin Beautiful.
“The troop leaders, school groups and families that take
younger kids out to be part of the cleanup are such a critical
part of instilling environmental stewardship values on the
next generation.”
Keep Martin Beautiful has been the local coordinator for
International Coastal Cleanup for 27 years. It’s part of a global
initiative coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy involving 17
million people in over 100 nations around the world.
Keep Martin Beautiful appreciates the many sponsors
who supported the 2022 International Coastal Cleanup,
including: Ashley Capital; the City of Stuart; Coastal Waste
& Recycling; ColorLength; Cook Electric, Inc.; Ecological
Associates, Inc.; Florida Inland Navigational District; The
Firefly Group; Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa; Jenkins
Landscape; Live with Grace; Martin County Board of
County Commissioners; The MilCor Group; the Pulte Group;
Rocky’s Ace Hardware Stuart; Sailfish Point; Shearwater
Marine; Stuart Corinthian Yacht Club; Surfing Evolution &
Preservation Foundation; Three Lakes; Trash Free Seas; van
Vonno Consulting; VidaCann; and 4ocean.
About Keep Martin Beautiful
Keep Martin Beautiful (KMB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
community organization founded in 1994 as an affiliate
of Keep America Beautiful. Its mission is to preserve and
enhance the quality of life in Martin County through litter
prevention, the promotion of recycling, improvement of
solid waste management practices, and beautification and
community revitalization activities. KMB signature events
and programs include the Environmental Stewardship
Awards, the International Coastal Cleanup, the Great
American Cleanup, the Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A-Street
programs, and other educational and outreach activities.
Find KMB on Facebook at facebook.com/
KeepMartinBeautiful, follow KMB on Instagram at instagram.
call (772) 781-1222.