The Brightside: OC Beach Heroes look for trash instead of shells
OCEAN CITY, Md. — Every Tuesday in Ocean City, one group is turning the tide on trash, one bag at a time. WMDT spoke to the group about their mission in the newest edition of The Brightside, sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.
Leslie Eisenhauer, volunteer administrator for Ocean City Beach Heroes, said, “Our mission really is to promote environmental stewardship and to support the town of Ocean City’s ‘Keep a Sea Litter-Free’ campaign. Anything that ends up on our land here is going to end up in one of our waterways and eventually in the ocean.”
The group meets every Tuesday for one hour to support the city’s efforts. In the summer, they encounter loads of trash, including dirty diapers, cigarette butts, glass and plastic bottles, and sometimes even switchblades and marijuana smoking devices.
“People don’t understand the impact that cigarette butts make. That’s a huge one, and they’re so tedious to collect. But the filters within cigarette butts are not degradable,” Eisenhauer said.
In the off-season, construction debris and trash from garbage cans often wind up on the beach. Eisenhauer hopes to inspire others to help.
“We have naval personnel here from Wallops Island today. In the summertime, we get a lot of camps that bring the kids. It’s rewarding and refreshing, and our volunteers say, ‘No, we never knew that picking up trash could be so gratifying,’” Eisenhauer said.
In picking up litter, the group is building momentum. “By the end of the year, we had 2,800 volunteer hours and removed about eight tons of trash and debris,” Eisenhauer said.
Even Chris Kringle made his way to Ocean City to help clean up the beaches. “The whole city — the mayor, the trash department, everyone — is behind them,” she said.
The key is to welcome everyone. Eisenhauer said, “That’s the livelihood that keeps the town alive. We just want visitors to leave behind their memories, their footprints, take their trash with them, or dispose of it responsibly so future generations can also enjoy the coastal lifestyle and continue to promote stewardship.”
Do you have any Bright ideas? Email us at newsroom@wmdt.com
