HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL AT WEEKLY 1-HOUR CLEANUPS

On Nov. 4, 10 volunteers met behind the old Kmart and in one hour collected 87 pounds of trash, 10 pounds of recycling and a gallon of cigarette butts as part of the one-hour cleanup that takes place every Friday from 8 to 9 a.m. CONTRIBUTED

One hour a week makes a huge difference, and volunteers are always welcome every Friday and some Saturday mornings, from 8 to 9 a.m., when teams clean up a designated area of the island.

A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls. Please remember your reusable bags when shopping so we can keep the plastic off the streets, parking lots and, most importantly, out of the water. And dispose of cigarette butts in any receptacle rather than the street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.

The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. With simple steps like making sure you bag your trash before putting it in your Waste Management trash cans or Dumpsters, and making sure the lids on Dumpsters are closed, will keep a lot of trash from blowing into the streets. Call Waste Management at 305-296-8297 for any furniture items left on the city right of way.

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference. 

It takes committed community involvement to Keep Key West Beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot that’s adopted. 

Please call Dorian at the city of Key West at 305-809-3782  to know more about how your business, nonprofit or club can help.

Upcoming Friday cleanups for November, all starting at 8 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 18: Fort Street in Bahama Village (Meet in Frederick Douglass Gym parking lot.)Friday, Nov. 25: City of Key West Fire Station (Meet at Angela and Simonton parking lot.)