The community members of Palm Coast gathered to remove over half a ton of waste from the city’s waterways, the city government announced. The 18th Annual Intracoastal Waterway Cleanup, which was held on Saturday, September 20th, resulted in 1,600 pounds of litter being taken out of the ecosystem.
City staff are touting the haul as a 60% increase from last year’s numbers, though the presence of enough trash to create such an increase is itself concerning. Still, 287 volunteers made their city a cleaner place and their environment healthier by devoting time to pick up trash.
The initiative was led by Palm Coast Residential Solid Waste Collections Supervisor Alyssa Roscoe. She met with volunteers at the Palm Coast Community Center on the morning of the cleanup and helped disperse trash bags, gloves, safety gear, and even a round of souvenir t-shirts. The event’s mascot, always a different native animal, was ‘Gus the Alligator’.
Mayor Mike Norris (right) participates in the cleanup. ⓒ City of Palm Coast
Of all the volunteers, the largest group assembled was made up by Girl Scout Troop 2413. The girl scouts were able to fill up a whole entire pickup truck bed over the day, enough that a one-ton truck had to respond to take away all they’d collected. The biggest haul by one single person was from Everette Neugebauer, who reportedly picked up 21 pounds of garbage all by herself.
Honored as the most interesting discovery of the day was an entire weed-wacker, still with oil and gasoline, which was pulled from the water. Participants also reportedly discovered a shopping cart, a wine cooler, many small plastic pieces of trash, wooden debris, and bottles. Palm Coast Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri was said to have found someone’s wallet during the cleanup.
Finally, the title of Littlest Litter Warrior was bestowed upon Guinevere Davenport for her participation in the cleanup. She received a Mayor’s Coin from Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris as a reward for her role in bettering the local environment.
Several groups were acknowledged by the city for their participation. These included the Matanzas High School National Honor Society, Flagler Palm Coast High School Student Government Association, troops from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the Juventude do Portuguese American Cultural Center among others.
