860 pieces of plastic, 528 straws, and too many steps to count!

Forty-two volunteers picked up 43 balloon remnants and ribbons along the shores of Saugatuck Dunes State Park on Saturday, April 20th. They also collected 860 pieces of plastic, 528 straws, 393 plastic bottle caps, and 326 cigarette butts and cigar tips. 
 
Our litter tells a story and it’s not a good one. And while the amount of trash collected was most likely reduced by high lake levels and waves that battered the beach and made the normal 2.5- mile continuous walk in the sand impossible, the group picked up almost 80 pounds of trash! 
 
What an incentive to use less plastic, more reusable products and dispose of trash appropriately! 
 
Thank you to all involved in Saturday’s Alliance for the Great Lakes Spring Kickoff and to the “Don’t Let it Fly or the Great Lakes Will Cry” team committed to eliminating balloons from the skies above our lakes. Working together, we can make a difference.