KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL

Seventeen volunteers met at the corner of Elizabeth and Greene streets on July 22. They braved the rain and collected 44 pounds of trash, nine pounds of recycling and two gallons of cigarette butts. Special thanks to Susan of Breakfast Club Too for providing the volunteers with breakfast. 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. 

All are invited to join the Friday morning cleanups from 8 to 9 a.m. Parking is provided and all volunteers receive a parking pass when needed for metered or residential parking spots. See the calendar here for Friday cleanup locations. 

Upcoming Friday cleanups; all events are 8 to 9 a.m.:

Friday, July 29: Little Hamaca Park (Meet at Government Road big curve.)

Friday, Aug. 5: Staples Ave. Bridge (Meet on 7th Street side of bridge.)

Friday, Aug. 12: Northside Drive & 14th Street (Meet at city parking lot next to Wells Fargo Bank)

Friday, Aug. 19: Truman Waterfront (Meet in the parking lot by the Fitness Trail.) 

Friday, Aug. 26: Bayview Park (Meet at Vietnam Memorial.)

— Dorian Patton, city of Key West