“Get the trash out of the splash.”
That’s the slogan for the 39th Annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup. It is this Saturday, Sept. 19 from 8 a.m. until noon at designated cleanup zones across coastal Alabama.
It is much bigger than a few people walking down the beach with garbage bags. Since Alabama joined the International Coastal Cleanup in 1987, more than 110,000 volunteers have worked for a half-day.
“People clean beaches, waterways, parks, neighborhoods, streets and storm drains because trash dropped miles away from the Gulf can eventually travel through drainage systems, creeks and rivers before ending up in Mobile Bay or the Gulf of America,” according to the official event trailer.
Some cleanup zones even allow people with kayaks, canoes and small boats to work from the water.
The cleanup is coordinated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ State Lands Coastal Section and Alabama PALS (Alabama People Against A Littered State). Alabama PALS, a non-profit, was established in 1987 and coordinates anti-litter work days throughout the state.
“The Alabama coast belongs to all of us. Millions of people visit these beaches. Thousands of us live here. Sea turtles nest here. Migrating birds stop here. People fish these waters and make their living from them. Four hours picking up trash may not sound glamorous, but when thousands of people do it together, it makes a difference,” a Facebook post from Alabama Beach Life reads.
One Saturday morning a year. A half-day of one Saturday. That’s all it takes for you to make a cleaner coast. The target area for cleanup is Dauphin Island in Mobile County to the Florida line in Baldwin County.
For more information and to find your nearby cleanup spots, go to: Welcome to the Alabama Coastal Cleanup – Alabama Coastal Cleanup
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler is a freelance writer about the colorful and positive in Alabama — her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
