Island beach-goers need to butt out
by Rick Catlin. islander Reporter
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| Amanda Kopacz of Surfrider Suncoast Chapter was at Cortez Beach last week with other Surfrider members, picking up and counting the number of cigarette butts on the ground prior to installation of cigarette bins at various locations on Cortez Beach. The count was part of the Islandwide "Bin Your Butts" program established by Keep Manatee Beautiful. More than 6,000 cigarette butts were collected at Manatee Public Beach, while Kopacz and her volunteers gathered 889. islander Photo: Paul Roat |
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Getting butts of the beach
Members of the Surfrider Suncoast Chapter collected 889 cigarette butts on Cortez Beach last Friday prior to installation of special bins to hold the cigarette trash and keep litter off the beach. Pictured, from left, are Amanda Kopacz, Roanne Kopacz-Ried and Moira Kopacz-Ried. islander Photo: Paul Roat |
No buts about it. It’s time for smokers to “Bin Your Butts” at Manatee County beaches on Anna Maria Island.
Armed with a $4,500 grant from Keep America Beautiful, the Keep Manatee Beautiful organization launched its “cigarette litter prevention program” last week to keep cigarette butts off the beaches. The plan has the backing of the Manatee County Commission.
“Bin Your Butts” started Aug. 1 as volunteers from members and organizations in Adopt-A-Beach began picking up and counting butts littered on the ground at Manatee County’s four Island beaches.
The results were impressive. Volunteers found 6,608 butts at Manatee Public Beach, 2,797 at Coquina Beach, 889 at Cortez Beach and 3,431 at Bayfront Park.
Keep Manatee Beautiful executive director Ingrid McClellan said once a butt count was established at each of the four selected beach locations, county work crews installed a cigarette bin and accompanying sign to aid smokers in “doing the right thing” and preventing littering on the beach, she said. A total of 55 bins are planned at the four locations.
McClellan said the goal was to have all 55 bins installed by Tuesday, Aug. 11.
After all bins are installed, Adopt-A-Beach members will return to their adopted beach Sept. 8 to count how many cigarettes were properly discarded in the bin and how many were on the nearby ground. The return count is to determine the effectiveness of the bins and signs, McClellan said.
At Cortez Beach, the Surfrider Suncoast Chapter is responsible for compiling butt-in and butt-out information, while the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice oversees for butts at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria. At Manatee Public Beach, the Excelsior Education and Training Foundation is the butt-counter, while ManaTeens is monitoring Coquina Beach.
McClellan said 13 ash bins were installed at Manatee Public Beach last week after volunteers counted the number of butts on the ground. Sixteen bins were to be placed at Bayfront Park, seven at Cortez Beach and 19 at Coquina Beach.
Amanda Kopacz of Surfrider, which has more than 2,000 members, said she had no trouble getting volunteers for the project.
“Cortez Beach is the beach we’ve adopted and we really want to get those butts in the bins. A lot of our members were excited to help get the butts off the beach and I think the plan is wonderful. Keeping Cortez Beach clean and litter-free is our responsibility and we are really pleased to help this effort,” Kopacz said.
A blue sign attached to the post at each bin says “Please bin your butts. Help Manatee County beaches remain clean. Please dispose of your cigarette butts properly in the ash bins provided throughout the beach.”
But the ash bins are just the start of educating the public about littering the Island with butts, said McClellan.
She also has 1,200 disposable ashtrays that will be distributed between Aug. 17-21 to smokers on the beach. During that same week, McClellan also has table cards that will be distributed to Island restaurants, hotel and accommodation lobbies and businesses, advising smokers of the bins on the beach and the advisability of a portable ashtray.
Volunteers to assist in distributing the ashtrays and table cards are welcome, McClellan said.
“We need to educate smokers about the bins and use of a portable ashtray,” said McClellan, and for good reasons.
Cigarette butts were 46 percent of all the litter collected in Florida during the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup campaign, and 40 percent of all the trash collected in Manatee County in the coastal cleanup.
It’s not just the aesthetics of cigarette butts lying on the ground, but the toxic waste they emit, she said. Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several million butts littered in Florida each year, the toxic chemicals add up to a substantial and harmful amount.
The butts contain chemicals that can kill animals that occupy critical positions in the aquatic community. Butts that end up in Florida’s water system — both freshwater and saltwater — release chemicals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic that can harm marine life and vegetation found in the waters.
That means the “Bin Your Butts” program is not just to keep the beaches clean, McClellan said, it’s also to prevent damage to the environment. Smokers need to be taught to dispose of butts properly, not just toss them in the sand, or wind.
“It’s important that smokers’ littering behavior be modified to decrease this source of pollution,” she said.
And it’s not just butts for the butt bins. Matches, disposable lighters, cigars and the wrapping from a cigarette package should all go in the bins.
McClellan said she will make a presentation this month to each Island city commission to inform them of the program and possibly gain some volunteers.
She also has plans to expand the program to other popular Island beach locations.
“We chose the most popular beaches for our startup program. We can apply for another grant next year from Keep America Beautiful and look to add bins at Leffis Key and Bean Point,” among other locations, she said.
People interested in volunteering to distribute the ashtrays and/or table cards the week of Aug. 17-21, is asked to call McClellan at 941-795-8272, or 941-713-1763. |
