60 tons of marine debris removed, MDMR says.
Nearly 3,000 volunteers picked up 2,064 bags of trash along 158 miles of the Mississippi coast on Saturday (Oct. 15) as part of the 23rd Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, the Division of Marine Resources announced.
More than 120,000 pounds of trash was bagged in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties during the event, which was part of the International Coastal Cleanup – the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment.
“Our coastal waterways provide food for our families, recreation and livelihoods for many of us,” said Lauren Thompson, state coordinator for the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup and public relations director for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. “It’s the lifeblood on which our fisheries and marine wildlife depend.
“Our annual coastal cleanup is a reminder that, yes, we can make a difference in keeping our shorelines clean and litter-free: One cigarette butt at a time, one piece of fishing line at a time, one plastic bag at a time.”
Included in the 120,047 pounds of trash collected were 171 tires, household appliances and remnants of homes washed away during Katrina.
More than 20 tons of debris was removed from the Ansley Preserve community alone using heavy equipment as part of the Renew Our Rivers program. Other items found were:
• a channel marker.
• remnants of homes.
• a jet ski.
• a car bumper.
• propane tanks.
• more than one refrigerator.
• a coffee maker.
• furniture.
• golf clubs.
• a tractor tire.
• a blow-up mattress,
• a fire alarm.
• a parking barricade.
• electrical wire.
• a plastic window.
• a baby carriage.
• a wooden door.
• a dead alligator gar.
• hypodermic needles.
• a Bacardi sign.
• 500 square feet of plastic sheeting found on Sand Island.
Volunteers also collecting trash at four sites in Jackson County separated out and filled 55 bags with recyclable items.
During the International Coastal Cleanup, hundreds of thousands of people across the world spend three hours combing the beaches and waterways to pick up trash that pollutes our waters, harms marine life, hampers tourism and poses health risks to beach-goers.
During last year’s International Coastal Cleanup, more than 600,000 volunteers in 108 countries removed more than 8 million pounds of debris from the ocean, rivers, lakes and waterways.
After the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, Bob Taylor, president of the Gulf Coast Restaurant Group (which includes Half Shell Oyster House, Bob’s Burger Factory, Southern Flavor Catering & Events, High Cotton Grill and The Quarter), treated 550 volunteers to a free lunch of hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, fruit and cold drinks served by their staff at the Ken Combs Pier parking area at Courthouse Road and Hwy. 90 in Gulfport. Sysco, Gulf Coast Produce, Cabot Cheese and Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Co. also provided food and drink for the event.
In Hancock County, the Office of Congressman Steven Palazzo and the Bay St. Louis Rotary Club treated volunteers to hotdogs at a cookout held at the Depot in Bay St. Louis, while BB’s Snowballs provided snowballs.
In Jackson County, 850 volunteers received a free barbecue lunch of pulled pork and beef brisket, chips and drinks at the Estuarine Education Center at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier courtesy of The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint.
Volunteers who cleaned the beach and filled out data cards, documenting what litters our shores and waterways, also received a re-usable fold-up tote, compliments of Chevron Pascagoula Refinery.
“The turnout today and the support that the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has received from the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force and our more than 80 sponsors is a clear indicator that many Mississippians do care about our coastal environment,” MDMR’s Thompson said. “They understand and see it as an extension of our own backyards that we can care for, maintain and protect not just today but each and every day by choosing to dispose of our trash properly.”
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