Living on the Alabama coast, residents are blessed with beautiful beaches, flora and fauna, scenery, lots of space and reasons to be outdoors. The Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a chance for all residents to take pride in this unique setting and treasured waterway system.

The Alabama Coastal Cleanup is always held on the third Saturday in September, this year falling on Sept. 17, with the theme of “Get the Trash out of the Splash!".  Cleanup hours are from 8 a.m. to noon, and individuals and companies alike are encouraged to get involved and make the coast as beautiful as it can be.

The cleanup is in its 24th year; in the last 23 years, more than 61,513 volunteers have removed 1,169,844 pounds of trash from 3,917 miles of shoreline in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has again partnered with Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) for the event while numerous other local sponsors are also involved in the event.

“It’s a great way to be involved in the cleaning up of the environment because all the trash will eventually get into the water and cause damage to wildlife and the environment,” said Kelly Brinkman, natural resource planner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division. “It’s a great one-day event to get involved and help clean up your coastline.” 

Those that participate need to bring their own sunscreen, hats, and fluids in case supplies run low. This is necessary to staying cool on those hot and humid days that can continue into late September.

The Coastal Cleanup Web site also provides a number of additional safety tips for the day, including: wear comfortable shoes, adults should supervise children at all times, respect sand dunes and other fragile ecosystems and don’t remove dangerous or heavy items but mark the location and report back for proper disposal.

The Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a small part of an international effort to keep waterways clean. The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is the largest single-day volunteer event for the marine environment, according to the ACC’s Web site.

Different areas of the coast have been marked into zones. If you want to help cleanup the coast, check www.alcoastalcleanup.org to see which zone you fall into and who your zone captain is. Brinkman said it is good to contact the captain so they can prepare enough supplies and be aware of what to expect.