- April 25, 2024
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Registration is open for the International Coastal and Halifax/Indian River Cleanup.
The event is from 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 15, and volunteers can register online at volusia.org/cleanup through Aug. 31.
Volunteers will need protective gloves, drinking water, comfortable clothes, outdoor footwear, hats and sunscreen.
The International Coastal Cleanup is an annual global event, and it was combined with the Halifax/Indian River Cleanup in Volusia County to pack a bigger punch.
In the past, volunteers have picked up more than 7,400 pounds of trash from beaches, rivers and parks in the county.
Last year, Hurricane Irma affected the event, but more than 1,000 volunteers still showed up and cleaned more than 4,500 pounds of trash.
This year, they’re expecting more than 2,000 volunteers, said Becki O’Keefe, sea turtle habitat conservation plan field manager and cleanup coordinator.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger,” she said.
The cleanup currently needs volunteers at river sites, including Riverwalk Park and the Port Orange Causeway.
Some river locations have boat launches where volunteers can bring kayaks, paddleboards, canoes or motorboats to reach difficult coastlines.
O’Keefe said though it’s important to clean up beaches, cleaning up rivers is essential because they feed into the ocean, often bringing trash that is far away from the beach.
“Trash is harmful no matter where it is,” she said.
Historically, cleanup has removed cigarettes from oceans and rivers, but in lately microplastics more common, O’Keefe said.
Larger items, such as plastic toys, bags and utensils break down over time and make their way into the water.
For this reason, she urges residents to collect their toys and properly discard their trash.
“Debris is not only an eyesore, it’s harmful to human and marine life,” O’Keefe said.
