ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Around 30 new high-tech recycling bins have been installed in Atlantic and Neptune Beach.
The founder and executive director of Beaches Go Green, Anne Marie Moquin, said the organization received a Keep America Beautiful grant for the bins.
“We’ve been trying to get recycling in public spaces at our Beaches Town Center for probably 10 years,” said Moquin. “I think creating awareness about being more eco-friendly is really important but also giving people the option when they do have something they want to throw away they can either put it in the trash or put it in the recycling.”
The bins are equipped with smart technology to alert employees when they are almost full.
“A lot of people wonder why that’s so important and it’s important because it takes man hours to come out and check these bins and obviously if we’re having a busy beach weekend, we don’t want them overflowing,” explained Moquin.
Moquin said education is key.
“You can’t just put the recycling bins out there and expect people to recycle right,” said Moquin. “So we want to educate them that any bottles and cans need to be empty, clean, and dry.
The non-profit said this is part of an awareness campaign, “No Litter Sherlock.”
“Litter being the bad word,” explained Moquin.
Nearly two years ago, Beaches Go Green was part of an initiative to install cigarette butt collection containers at the beaches.