End-of-Summer Clean Up (MN, OH, WI)
Fall is a good time to tidy up the beach after a summer of heavy use by tourists, beachgoers and boaters. Beach litter is unsightly and can pose a threat to humans, and some forms can pose a hazard to people and wildlife. Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter on Great Lakes beaches, according to the Alliance for the Great Lakes Adopt-a-Beach™ program. More than 175,000 butts are found on Great Lakes beaches each year and those butts contain cadmium, lead, arsenic and other chemicals that can hurt water quality and public health. Small children sometimes are tempted to put what they find on the beach in their mouths, and many people don’t know that it can take hundreds of years for a cigarette filter to disappear from the environment.
Viewer Tip: Get outdoors and enjoy the early fall weather by lending a hand for your local beach or waterway. Join a cleanup event as part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup, held on the third Saturday of September each year – falling on September 19 this year. Visit www.signuptocleanup.org to sign up for a cleanup near you.
Season: Fall
This information is provided by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.greatlakes.org.