KEYS WEEKLY & OMG HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL

a group of people standing in front of a food truck
The May 30 cleanup took place along the golf course side of U.S. 1, hosted by longtime supporter and host Keys Weekly Newspaper, with its sister company Overseas Media Group. In one hour, 23 volunteers collected 153 pounds of trash, 13 pounds of recycling and 2.25 gallons of cigarette butts. 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 one-hour Friday morning cleanup. All events are 8 to 9 a.m. unless otherwise noted.
June 6: Upper Duval. Meet in front of the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, which is the host.
June 13: Key West Fire Station on Simonton Street. Meet in the parking lot by the fire station. Hosted by Last Stand of the Florida Keys.
June 20: Lazy Way and the Key West Bight area. Meet next to the Wyland Wall at the end of William Street. Hosted by The Marker Resort.
June 27: Simonton and Catherine streets. Meet in the parking lot of First State Bank, which is hosting.