PINELLAS COUNTY, fla — Keep Pinellas Beautiful is hosting an event at Johns Pass to kick off the Great American Cleanup, which will take place nationwide from March 1st to June 30th.
The goal is to get people outdoors, help pick up trash, and beautify neighborhoods. This comes as many beach towns prepare to welcome spring breakers. Environmentalists say they need all the help they can get to keep our beaches clean.
Pat Deplasco explained that littering is a consistent problem, and it's crucial to protect our beaches now, after the damage from the back-to-back hurricanes.
“And the fact that we’ve had volunteers out since the hurricanes cleaning up the mess that the hurricanes caused, they got a good idea of what litter and pollution is,” Deplasco said.
Deplasco explained they will be using the bebot at Friday's event. The bebot is a tiny robot that sifts through sand and picks up trash below the surface.
“We have cigarettes, bottle caps, small pieces of plastic, so we use this bebot as an education tool for people to learn, ok, we have to keep even the little things,” Deplasco said.
She said even the tiniest pieces of trash can be damaging to the beach and wildlife.
Over the last two months, the ABC Action News I-Team has sent the names and information of nearly 300 people who were stuck in an "adjudication hold" to the Florida Department of Commerce. But now, some people have followed up to let the I-Team know after sharing their stories, they are finally getting the relief they desperately need.
