The nearly 3,000 volunteers who came out for the 29th Annual Waterway Cleanup this month removed close to 62 tons of trash and debris from the waterways, rivers, canals and shorelines - about 12 tons more than last year. The Marine Industries Association of South Florida coordinates the annual cleanup.
"We attribute the increase in the amount of debris collected to last year's active hurricane season," said Marilyn Mammano, who chairs the association's Waterway Cleanup Committee. "The effort of our volunteers this year was also astounding. To see so many people come together to help clean up and rejuvenate their communities on Saturday was touching and very rewarding."
Presenting sponsor for this year's Waterway Cleanup was Charlie's Locker Nautical Outfitters. Other sponsors included: Broward Beautiful; Broward County Environmental Protection Department; Broward County Waste and Recycling; City of Fort Lauderdale; Cliff Berry Inc.; Coral Springs Improvement District; Crook's Printing; FlexSol Packaging Corp.; Florida Inland Navigation District; JM Family Enterprises; Myers, Myers and Adams; Pier 17 Marina & Yacht Club; Publix Super Markets; South Florida Water Management District; Southern Boating magazine; Star brite; and The Herald.
The Waterway Cleanup is Broward County's largest annual environmental cleanup effort, according to MIASF. This year it served as the kick-off event for the Great American Cleanup of Broward County, a Keep America Beautiful event coordinated locally by Broward Beautiful and Broward County Waste & Recycling's Adopt-A-Street program.
