Thousands of pounds of trash is waiting ... for you

Broward, Palm Beach seeking volunteers for Coastal Cleanup

Too much trash. Too few volunteers.

Broward and Palm Beach counties are seeking participants for the Ocean Conservancy's 33rd annual International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday.

Broward is organizing a beach cleanup at a dozen locations, and Palm Beach County has more than two dozen spots, including parks and streets between 8 a.m. and noon.

During the 2017 event, 1,629 Broward volunteers removed 8,057 pounds of trash from the coastline.

In Palm Beach County, over 3,500 volunteers picked up more than 26,000 pounds of trash from beaches, lakes and participating neighborhoods, organizers said.

More than 20 million pounds of trash were collected by some 789,000 volunteers worldwide last year, according to the Ocean Conservancy.

Participants should wear a hat, sunscreen and gloves, and bring water. Any individual or group can volunteer, including children of all ages with the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

Some trash gloves will be bags and provided. Volunteers are welcome to bring buckets to collect the trash and reduce the number of plastic bags that accumulate during the cleanup.

Afterward, volunteers can log community-service hours and be eligible for a coastal cleanup T-shirt, while supplies last.

Data cards will be distributed so volunteers can keep track of the cigarette butts, bottle caps, plastic straws and other debris combed off the beaches. They can also add to the database in real-time using the free Clean Swell app, available for download in the Apple iTunes App Store and Google Play.

The data will be compiled in the Ocean Trash Index, the world's largest database on marine litter.

The Ocean Conservancy will use the data to learn more about marine debris, develop ways to educate the public, and find ways to prevent damage to sensitive coastal habitats that kill thousands of birds and fish every year.

For more information on cleanup locations and how to volunteer, visit broward.org or email coastalcleanup@broward.org or call 954-519-1218. In Palm Beach County, visit keepPBCbeautiful.org or call 561-686-6646.

Severe weather scheduling, ahead. may affect so call