HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL; JOIN A 1-HR FRIDAY CLEANUP

a group of people standing in front of a building
The rolling dark clouds on Aug. 2 cut the normally larger group of Ploggers in half, but by start time, the sun was out and in one hour, 17 volunteers collected 88 pounds of trash, 19 pounds of recycling and 2.5 gallons of cigarette butts around North Roosevelt Boulevard. Special thank you to host The Laureate Key West and general manager Mark Vose, who provided the volunteers with breakfast by the pool as a thank-you for their hard work. CONTRIBUTED

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

Gloves, pickers, buckets, vests, hand sanitizer and a parking pass are provided to all volunteers. 

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. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help.

Join a Friday morning cleanup each week from 8 to 9 a.m. 

Aug. 9: Varela and United streets | Meet in front of the Montessori Children’s School; park at City Hall. Hosted by the Montessori Children’s School.

Aug. 16: White & Eaton streets | Meet in the parking lot at 1111 Eaton St. Hosted by Mike and Dee Hower.

Aug. 23: North Roosevelt & Toppino Drive | Meet in the back of First State Bank. Hosted by First State Bank.Aug. 30: Greene Street to Simonton Beach | Meet in the parking lot by Conch Republic Seafood Co. We will finish at Simonton Beach. Hosted by Just a few Friends, Key West.