Hundreds of volunteers take part in annual July 5th Jacksonville area beaches cleanup

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of volunteers came out Monday morning during the annual July 5th beaches cleanup picking up trash that may have been left behind after the 4th of July celebrations.

Anita Prewitt drove from Orange Park to help and she spotted debris in the sand and along the shoreline.

“Cigarette butts are the usual suspects, but the fireworks of course, from last night,” Prewitt said.

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“Lot of sparkers, lot of little metal pieces out there,” Kevin Brown, a volunteer with Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol, said.

Hundreds of volunteers took part in this year’s beaches clean up.

Groups with blue bags and gloves picked up trash along Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach.

Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol helps organize the event each year.

Event leaders told Action News Jax that each volunteer picks up about 20 pounds of trash and between the 200 volunteers that came out on Monday, it is estimated that they picked up about 4,000 pounds of garbage.

Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol said this annual cleanup has been a tradition here at the beaches for over two decades and while everyone loves good fireworks show, the aftermath can hurt the beach.

“The residue and the paper they leave behind isn’t the best for the environment because little sea animals, little crabs, everything that resides on the beach and in the dunes will think it’s food and then they and then they ingest it, and it causes a whole bunch of harm,” Garrett Burton, a Fletcher High School student, said.

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Kevin Brown, a volunteer with Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol, said everyone can do their part to make sure the sea life stays healthy.

“We want to leave the beach, clean, dark and flat and we want everybody to come out and celebrate, enjoy, but try to leave it the way you found it,” Brown said.

And of course, it takes the community effort to help protect the environment.

“We got a good crowd of people out there. It’s nice to see this much representation, caring about the beach,” Prewitt said.

“It feels good to do it because you know you’re making an impact,” Gabby Craft said.

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