Ropes, shoes, toothbrushes and cigarette butts -- 2,000 pounds of them -- were picked up off the beaches in Volusia County on Saturday as part of this year's annual coastal cleanup.
The cleanup was in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup and included Flagler County volunteers.
"We had a really good turnout, about 500 volunteers," said Stacey Bell, project coordinator and a Volusia County environmental staffer. "There was lots of trash out there."
Saturday's cleanup included 10 sites along Volusia County's beaches, from Ormond-by-the-Sea to New Smyrna Beach.
Morning winds pushed ocean seaweed up onto the beach and the trash came with it, Bell said.
"There were lots and lots of cigarette butts," she said. "I don't think people realize it takes at least a decade for one to decompose."
Recyclable material was separated from trash as it was collected. "This allowed us to be really green," Bell said.
Though she hadn't had a chance to look over all 2,000 pounds of trash, a vintage dress probably was the most unusual find, she said.
The ecologically minded crew even found time to rescue a bird, Bell said.
"One of the groups found an injured bird -- some type of gull -- and took it to the Volusia County Marine Science Center at Ponce Inlet," she said. "There is a bird hospital there."
By JULIE MURPHY
Staff Writer
news-journalonline.com
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
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