International Coastal Cleanup 2019

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When we trash the ocean, we trash our own well-being.

Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful Announces Locations for the
International Coastal Cleanup 2019

Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc. (KPBCB) welcomes help from volunteers for the International Coastal Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, September 21 with additional dates through October in Palm Beach County. The cleanup is sponsored by The Ocean Conservancy worldwide and is coordinated locally by KPBCB.

As part of this effort across the globe, individuals take part in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) to remove trash and debris from the world's beaches and waterways, identify the sources of that debris, and change the behaviors that allow it to reach the ocean in the first place.

During this signature event each September, hundreds of thousands of volunteers from countries all over the world spend a day picking up everything from cigarette butts and food wrappers to lost fishing nets and major appliances. Because trash travels to the ocean by way of storm drains and waterways, they don’t just work along ocean beaches; these dedicated volunteers navigate through mud and sand along lakes, canals, and rivers, often working far inland on roadways and neighborhood streets.

Many walk, while others set out on boats. Thousands more don scuba gear to seek trash below the water’s surface. People of all ages, from any walk of life, can participate. Friends, families, neighbors, club members, school classes--all kinds of people turn out on one day to work together in spirit across many time zones.

Working shoulder-to-shoulder, the volunteers in the Cleanup’s global network not only pick up trash, they record every item they find on standardized data cards. KPBCB compiles the data locally and the Ocean Conservancy compiles and analyzes the data worldwide each year, and publishes the world’s only item-by-item, location-by-location snapshot of marine debris in an annual report. By understanding what is out there, we can work together on solutions.

Last year, in Palm Beach County alone, over 4,500 volunteers picked up over 18,900 lbs of trash from Palm Beach County beaches, lakes, and participating neighborhoods and recycled another 2300 lbs.

This year in Palm Beach County, local volunteers will gather at multiple locations. Most cleanup events begin at 8:00 a.m. with some later start times. For a list of sites, dates, and times, please visit www.keepPBCbeautiful.org or call (561) 686-6646. Community Service Hours will be given. Volunteers should pre-register by contacting the volunteer coordinators listed for each site. Trash bags and other supplies will be provided and volunteers are encouraged to wear hats, sunscreen, sturdy shoes and bring water. Free ICC t-shirts will be given to volunteers while supplies last.

About Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc.

Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc., established in 1988, is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-based non-profit organization which serves as the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Its mission is is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County through programs and partnerships that encourage public agencies, private entities, residents and visitors to reduce litter and waste, increase recycling, beautify, maintain, and sustain public spaces, and inspire generations of environmental stewards. www.keepPBCbeautiful.org

About the Ocean Conservancy

For more information about the Ocean Conservancy visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org