Olowalu Coastal Cleanup, Oct. 12

Photo courtesy Drew Sulock; source: beach cleanup event flyer.

By Wendy Osher

An International Coastal Cleanup event takes place this Saturday, Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Olowalu.

The event is held in coordination with Mālama Maui Nui, the Surfrider Foundation, and the “Get the Drift & Bag It” campaign.

Other participating sponsors include the Marine Resource Council, the Pacific Whale Foundation, and the County of Maui.

Interested participants are asked to meet at mile marker 14 prior to 9 a.m. Cleanup supplies and water will be provided.

According to Mālama Maui Nui, hundreds of thousands of people turn out each year around the nation for clean-up projects organized under the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup banner.

In the last quarter of a century, on just one day every September, almost nine million people have picked up some 144 million pounds of trash in more than 150 countries and locations, organizers claim. Each piece picked up is cataloged by type providing valuable data for the cleanup and prevention of marine debris.