HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL; JOIN A A1-HOUR, FRIDAY MORNING CLEANUP

Plogging the Keys met at Mallory Square on April 5 for the Friday morning cleanup. The city’s community services department does a great job cleaning the area daily so it was all about getting the small stuff from the cracks and the cigarette butts from the rocks. A volunteer group of 58 people worked in and around Mallory Square. In one hour they collected 84 pounds of “micro trash,” 19 pounds of recycling and 4 gallons of cigarette butts. Special thanks to Ocean Key Resort for hosting the Ploggers for the second time with breakfast sandwiches and coffee. “Sheldon C. Turtle” from the Key West Aquarium stopped by to thank everyone for helping keep the cigarette butts and trash from getting in the water. 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.

April 12: Nelson English Park | Meet at the park, 300 Catherine St. (Hosted by Last Stand of the Florida Keys)

April 19: White Street & Atlantic Blvd | Meet at the bocce courts, 1301 Atlantic Blvd. (Joint cleanup with the Green Ops of the Conch Republic)

April 26: Between both entrances of College Road on U.S. 1, both sides | Meet along the bike path across U.S. 1 from Dion’s, just past Maloney Avenue. Park along College Road.

(Hosted by Keys Weekly)