Finding beach toys left behind on Hilton Head? There’s a new, fun way to recycle them
Keeping plastic out of the ocean has never been so much fun.
More than 1,860 beach toys were left behind on Hilton Head Island last year, so a new recycling project has been launched at Islanders Beach Park to help keep those items on land, according to town communications director Carolyn Grant.
There’s now a bin at the park where people can drop off beach toys they find. Kids can then borrow them and later put them back in the bin or take them home.
The bin is located on the walkway to the beach and is the first of its kind on the island, according to Grant and a Facebook post from Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island.
The town, Sea Turtle Patrol and Turtle Trackers group collaborated on the project.
The bin also has tips for protecting sea turtles, with a sign telling beachgoers to fill in holes and flatten sand structures before leaving the area.
Sea turtle season runs from May 1 through Oct. 31 on the island.
Mother sea turtles will come ashore at nighttime, lay their eggs in nests and return to the ocean. After incubating for between 45 and 60 days, eggs begin to hatch, and the tiny sea turtles make their way to the sea.
The island’s first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the 2021 season was discovered early May 10 near Folly Field Beach, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette previously reported.
