JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Instead of sleeping in this morning, volunteers spent Saturday cleaning up Reddie Point Preserve and Hanna Park.
The two cleanups in Duval County were in partnership with the Timucuan Parks Foundation as part of the 2021 Florida Coastal Cleanup.
Timucuan Parks Foundation volunteer Charles Clossmen participates each year.
“I want people to know they can make a difference. We come out here and we organize a group of volunteers to pick up litter. It supports the local and national parks in the Jacksonville area,” Clossmen said.
Volunteers helped clean up trash along the coastline from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. For high school senior Arielle Charles this is more than volunteer work, it’s protecting the planet.
“I feel like we have to really help out. We only have one Earth,” Charles said.
The annual cleanups are in partnership with the city of Jacksonville and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful.
Each year, volunteers pick up things like plastic bottles, bottle caps, straws, food wrappers and cigarette butts from the shorelines that could cause major problems for wildlife and the ecosystem.