International Coastal Cleanup volunteers at Bowditch Point on Fort Myers Beach. PROVIDED

Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc. (KLCB) volunteers joined forces to be a part of the global movement for our ocean and #SeatheChange at Ocean Conservancy’s 38th International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC), the world’s largest volunteer effort to remove and record trash from lakes, waterways, and beaches.

Since the effort began in 1986, the International Coastal Cleanup has mobilized nearly 18 million volunteers to remove over 350 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide. Keep Lee County Beautiful is the local organizer hosting the event for more than 30 years.

“The International Coastal Cleanup shows us that every piece of trash we collect locally adds up globally. Taken together, we can all #SeaTheChange we make – and our ocean life sees a change, too.” said Trish Fancher, executive director of Keep Lee County Beautiful.

Keep Lee County Beautiful had volunteers at 19 sites across the county removing more than 5,000 pounds of litter and debris from the environment. In addition to collecting trash, the volunteers logged every item they found and contributed to the world’s largest repository of marine debris data, collecting data on over 381 million items. This data has been used by scientists, environmentalists, governments and others to better understand and characterize the global plastic pollution problem.

“Plastic pollution is a massive problem for our ocean, but together, our actions can make a big difference,” said Allison Schutes, director of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. “I’ve seen the impact that volunteers make firsthand through thousands of cleanups: no matter where you are, every bottle, every straw, every piece of trash you collect as part of the International Coastal Cleanup connects you to a global movement for a clean ocean. We are so grateful for the efforts of Keep Lee County Beautiful and all the volunteers.”

International Coastal Cleanup volunteers at Getaway Marina. PROVIDED

Keep Lee County Beautiful thanks the volunteers and the following Coastal Cleanup sponsors for making this event possible:

Title Sponsor-Walmart, Ocean Conservancy, Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, Town of Fort Myers Beach, Lee County Solid Waste, Waste Pro, The Great Calusa Blueway, WM, Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel, PulteGroup, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Trademark Metals Recycling, Florida Power & Light, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, Passarella & Associates, City of Cape Coral, City of Bonita Springs, Lee County Parks & Recreation, SCCF, Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream, Keep America Beautiful, City of Fort Myers, Florida State Parks, Keep Florida Beautiful, Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation, and SafeGuard Document Destruction.

Source: Keep Lee County Beautiful

International Coastal Cleanup volunteers at Santini Plaza on Fort Myers Beach. PROVIDED