Marco Island is truly a family vacation destination with something for everyone to enjoy. While you and your group are sure to love the mouth-watering food, fascinating historical sites, and stunning nature around you, you of course have to spend some time on the beautiful Marco Island beaches. The residents of Marco Island take pride in the stunning beaches of their community, but the shoreline doesn’t stay beautiful by itself. That’s why the Marco Island residents have taken it upon themselves to partake in quarterly beach cleanup days.
This is one of the most important quarterly events on Marco Island, and you are encouraged to join in when you’re staying in one of our Marco Island rentals!
Trash on Beaches
While cities tried to remind us how important it is to keep beaches clean, trash on the shoreline is still a major problem for many coastal cities throughout the U.S. Today, the #1 most picked up item on the shores of Marco Island is plastic straws. This issue has become so rampant that many restaurants will not give out straws unless they are specifically requested by customers, and the Marco Island City Council has now banned the use of plastic straws from any beachside establishment.
Other commonly found forms of ocean litter include cigarette butts, plastic water bottles, food wrappers, fishing line, plastic grocery bags, and plastic and foam takeout containers. Not only do these pieces of litter make our beaches look unsightly, but they can also prove to be incredibly dangerous for the beach wildlife that calls Marco Island home. It’s up to us to understand the dangers of plastic straws and other litter and work to clean up our shores.
Know the Facts
It’s no secret that plastic is the biggest culprit of beach trash, but you might be surprised to hear just how big of an impact it has. Around 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced as of mid-2017, and the amount of plastic produced from 2000-2010 is more than the entire amount of plastic produced during the entirety of the 1900s. In 2010, while almost 700,000 tons of high-density polyethylene plastic bags were made in the US, only around 4% of these were recycled.
Plastic will not biodegrade in our lifetime but will instead break down and negatively impact fish and other marine life. It has been estimated that up to 80% of marine litter is plastic, and almost 9 million metric tons of plastic goes into our oceans every single year. Predictions indicate that by 2025, there could be one ton of plastic in the water for every three tons of fish, and by the year 2050, that ratio could be 1:1.
Do Your Part
Quarterly beach clean-up days have become some of the biggest annual events on Marco island, but the beach won’t stay clean without the help of everyone. Beach clean-up days are open to everyone, so bring your whole family out to take part! The Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce provides grabbers and buckets, but these supplies are limited, so if you have your own, please bring it. Bags and gloves will also be supplied, and free t-shirts are available for first-time participants. The trash will be sorted by type for appropriate recycling or disposal, so you can rest assured that the trash will wind up where it belongs.
Plan Your Visit
By doing our part and assisting in quarterly beach clean-up days, locals and visitors alike will be able to take advantage of the fun summer events on Marco Island and we’ll enjoy clean beaches for years to come. While you’re staying on Marco Island, consider one of our Marco Island vacation rentals. Contact us today to learn more!
Typically, beach cleanup days happen on Saturdays at 8 a.m., though occasionally, there will be night clean-ups starting at 6 p.m. In the past, clean-ups have happened once or twice per month at locations like the South Beach Boardwalk, Collier County Tigertail Beach Park, Resident’s Beach, and JW Marriott Beach. For more information about the quarterly beach clean-up days, contact the city of Marco Island.