DNREC opens registration for September’s Delaware Coastal Cleanup.
DNREC is seeking volunteers up and down to the state to join the 2023 Delaware Coastal Cleanup - the one-day coordinated statewide trash cleanup event.
This is the event’s 36th year working to keep Delaware’s beaches and waterways free of trash.
Joanna Wilson is the Delaware Coastal Cleanup Coordinator.
"We have 45 sites from Fox Point State Park in New Castle County all the way to Fenwick Island at the very bottom of Delaware, and volunteers can choose whichever site they would like to clean up,” said Wilson. “There's plenty of trash outside of the immediate beach area, but we have beaches along the full length of the bay and ocean."
The cleanup on September 23rd coincides with a month-long campaign in September to clean up neighborhoods, green spaces, and waterways statewide.
Gloves and supplies will be provided, but DNREC encourages volunteers to bring their own gloves and a five-gallon bucket to put trash in it.
Wilson explains why it’s important to register by the deadline.
"We encourage volunteers to sign up by Friday September 1st, and the reason for that being that we pack boxes of supplies including the gloves and the data cards and all the supplies that the volunteers need ahead of time and we have to get those delivered throughout the state," said Wilson.
Last year, 1200 volunteers cleaned up 6,248 pounds of trash from waterways, wetlands and other areas.
The top five items collected were 12,280 cigarette butts, 4,896 plastic and glass bottles and cans, 4,852 food wrappers and containers, 300 balloons, and 459 plastic bags which was half of the previous year.
Volunteers can sign up at de.gov/coastalcleanup.
