Daytona Beach, FL - Lots of people head to the beach to celebrate the Fourth of July. When the fifth of July comes around, there are usually thousands of pounds of debris strewn across Volusia County beaches, which leads to the busiest beach cleanup day of the year.
If you'd like to help in the cleanup, you don't even to register. Danielle Ramsey, Sustainability and Volunteer Coordinator for Volusia County Environmental Management, said the litter consists of spent fireworks, food, plates, cups, cigarettes, clothing, broken beach chairs and worst of all, plastic bags, six-pack rings, and straws.
The official cleanup is set to take place at Sun Splash Park from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m but Ramsey encourages beachgoers to head to their favorite stretch of coastline and take care of that area. She reports that last year's cleanup collected 55,760 pounds of trash. The major reason for the cleanup is to keep the trash out of the ocean so it doesn't cause harm to marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, and seabirds.
You don't have to register for the cleanup but Ramsey said if you do, you can get community service credit which she will gladly sign off on for you.
The Environmental Management Division's cleanup is scheduled for July 5 at Sun Splash Park from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Groups of 15 or more should contact Beach Safety to coordinate the effort.
