Keeping SC’s beaches clean is the focus of a 1-day event. Here’s how to get involved
For South Carolina beaches, waterways and marshes in desperate need of a cleanup, a one-day statewide event wants to make that happen. To do so, it needs thousands of volunteers.
This Saturday, Sept. 17, the 33rd annual Beach Sweep/River Sweep litter cleanup will kick off at 9 a.m. and last until noon at nearly 100 South Carolina locations.
Sites in Beaufort County include: Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Daufuskie Island, St. Helena Island, Fripp Island and Harbor Island.
From feet on the beach to those on boats, volunteers are tasked with litter retrieval that clutters beaches and pollutes waters, often pulling out plastic and glass bottles, cans, food containers, clothing, toys and cigarette butts. Plastic trash cleanup is particularly vital, as plastic bag pollution harms more than 700 species of marine life, according to the Coastal Conservation League, affecting the beloved sea turtles and, in other circumstances, breaking down into toxins that impact fish, shrimp, oysters and zooplankton.
Participation is not limited, meaning anyone — families, schools, youth groups, civic and conservation clubs and businesses — can participate in the statewide cleanup.
Last year, over 2,200 volunteers cleared over 20,000 pounds of trash. They covered 161 miles across the Palmetto State.
Want to volunteer? Here’s how
- For cleanup groups in coastal counties, go to www.scseagrant.org/bsrs-sites or contact Susan Ferris Hill at 843-953-2092 or susan.ferris.hill@scseagrant.org.
- For cleanup groups in Inland counties, go to sweep-scdnr.hub.arcgis.com/pages/volunteer or contact Bill Marshall at 803-734-9096 or marshallb@dnr.sc.gov.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:40 PM.
