Twilight Beach Cleanup Effort Collects More Than 100 Pounds of Trash

Bottle caps, cigarette lighters, coffee cups, candy wrappers, plastic food containers, an umbrella, dental floss picks, and plastic straws were among the bounty of trash collected by STOP volunteers in a Sept. 1 beach clean-up.  All told, the 20 participants collected 104 pounds of trash in the Turtles & Taps Twilight Beach Cleanup. 

The event began at 7 p.m. at the Parrot Lounge on Fort Lauderdale Beach, a short distance from STOP’s headquarters. The sea turtle conservation group handed each participant a bucket and a grabber.  After crossing A1A, the volunteers got to work fanning out on the beach from Sunrise Boulevard north and south. Some worked individually, others in teams. 

The pairing of Jeff and Kathryn Huber topped in trash collection, by far, with just over 30 pounds amassed, including an umbrella.  One beachgoer not affiliated with the clean-up helped out, too, by depositing two sandals filled with debris she had collected from the beach into one volunteer’s bucket. 

Once it was dark, the volunteers returned to the Parrot Lounge, where each bucket’s contents were weighed before being properly disposed of in a trash bin. All volunteers were then treated by STOP to a complimentary beer. 

The debris collected kept the trash and plastics out of the ocean, where they can be lethal and damaging to sea turtles and other marine wildlife. 

Turtles and Taps volunteers combed approximately two miles of Fort Lauderdale Beach’s seven-mile stretch that evening. Overall, Broward County’s sandy beach coastline stretches 24 miles. 

The collection of more than 100 pounds of trash is a reminder that all beachgoers can do their part to keep the beaches clean and safe for coastal and oceanic wildlife by properly tossing their waste while enjoying the beach, as well as taking it with them for proper disposal at home afterward. 

In an Instagram social media post, the Parrot Lounge wrote: “We had a great time collecting 104lbs off our beach at the Twilight Turtles & Taps Beach Clean Up with our friends at @seaturtleop.” 

STOP was grateful for the assist. “Thank you so much for allowing us to host our event and helping us protect wildlife habitats! The sea turtles and all of us at S.T.O.P. are beyond grateful!” the organization wrote on Instagram.