Volunteers are needed to help clean up coastal beaches after the Fourth of July holiday.
Volunteers will hand out bags at beach approaches on the afternoon of July Fourth and/or help remove filled bags from the high tide line Sunday morning, July 5, said Jon Schmidt, coordinator of Washington CoastSavers.
Registration is now open on www.coastsavers.org.
Washington CoastSavers will join forces with the Grassroots Garbage Gang, Surfrider Foundation, the cities of Long Beach, Ocean Shores and other partners to tackle the thousands of pounds of debris expected to be on beaches after the holiday weekend, Schmidt said.
“Shooting fireworks is an old tradition and a favorite way for many people to celebrate July Fourth.
“When done safely, this activity can be both fun and memorable.
“However, when thousands of people converge on our coast on the Fourth of July and shoot fireworks at the beach, the trash left over can be devastating to one of our favorite places to recreate,” he said.
Fireworks are primarily made out of plastic, he pointed out.
“These plastics are harmful to wildlife and ugly for those of us who love the natural beauty of the beach. . . . If you enjoy shooting fireworks on the beach, please encourage members of your party to clean up after themselves. Pack it in, Pack it out,” he said.
This year’s July 5th Cleanup is supported by funds provided by the Japanese government following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to use this gift from Japan,” Schmidt said.
“There is still a lot of long-range debris coming ashore, and we will clean our beaches, regardless of its origin.”
Volunteers can show up at any major beach approach on the Long Beach Peninsula, Westport area or Ocean Shores area and either fill bags distributed there or help collect the filled bags left at high tide line from the night before.
“We’ll need all the help we can get that weekend,” Schmidt said.
