Happy Coastal Cleanup Month!
We're going to be spending the entire month
of September celebrating our watersheds and coastline
with decentralized cleanups and
weekly programming.
The safety and wellbeing of our community
has always been our top priority at Heal the Bay
so we are encouraging individual and household
cleanups from wherever you live.
So listen up, because we're going to tell
you how to have a safe, effective and fun cleanup.
Please find a cleanup site that is accessible
for you and members of your household
and is within walking distance from where you
live.
Limit the size of your cleanup group to members
only within your household.
Wear a mask, and accommodate for physical
distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
We encourage you to use reusable supplies if you can, so grab an old bucket and some gardening gloves
Just do not touch the trash with your bare
hands!
So the data from your cleanup is actually
super important.
We actively use this data to educate, to help
support environmentally-friendly legislation,
and to advocate for the health of our waterways.
Now, for some safety rules.
If you see something that looks sharp or dangerous,
please do not pick it up.
Please do not touch anything ooey, gooey,
sticky, or gross!
When it doubt, don't touch it.
We also say what comes from nature can stay
in nature.
The beach is an ecosystem and needs all those
natural things to continue to thrive.
That means if you find anything like kelp,
driftwood, tar, or shells
you can just go ahead and leave that there.
Sometimes, when you're at the beach it can
actually look pretty clean.
But it's all about those tiny little pieces
that are in the sand like bottle caps, cigarette butts
and tiny pieces of polystyrene.
Those tiny pieces are the ones that animals
tend to eat because they think it's food,
and the pieces are really difficult for beach
rakes to clean up.
That's where we come in handy.
At the end of your cleanup, please properly
dispose of the trash and wash your hands
and all reusable equipment thoroughly.
Thanks for cleaning your happy place.
Have a great cleanup!
