Went to a beach cleanup in Miami and got kind of annoyed

I showed up Saturday morning to help pick up trash at Virginia Key Beach. There were maybe 15 of us, but we filled 40 bags in under 2 hours. The crazy part? Most of the trash was single-use plastic bottles and straws from people who were right there on the sand. Like, there are recycling bins every 50 feet along the boardwalk. How hard is it to stand up and walk 10 steps to toss your bottle? I'm not saying we need to ban everything, but has anyone else noticed that no amount of cleanups will fix people just being lazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.reese16d ago

Used to roll my eyes at people complaining about litter but this post just made me realize how bad it really is when people won't walk ten feet to a recycling bin.

rivera.jake14d ago

My buddy Carlos was down at Haulover Beach last month doing the same thing with his surf club. He told me they pulled out about 50 pounds of tangled fishing line and plastic six-pack rings from the dunes in just one morning. What pissed him off most was finding a full cooler someone just left behind with half-eaten sandwiches and melted ice inside it. He said a guy from the park service told him they see that kind of stuff every single weekend without fail. So yeah, I totally get what you're saying about the laziness factor making these cleanups feel like a never ending cycle.