Thirty Years of “Baggin” It!”: Largest Worldwide Coastal Cleanup Effort Sept 19

Volunteers tally types of litter found at UHMC Student ‘Ohana for Sustainability Club cleanup at Kahului Harbor. Photo Credit: Ananda Stone via Mālama Maui Nui.

By Maui Now Staff

Mālama Maui Nui will once again participate in the volunteer-driven International Coastal Cleanup campaign on Sept. 19, 2015.

The beach cleanup effort, led by the Ocean Conservancy, is known locally as “Get the Drift and Bag It!”

This effort to mālama the unique coastal ecosystems of Maui Nui is an opportunity for the community to collectively act in support of litter-free oceans each year.

Event organizers say protection of various species is important because diverse populations provide greater ecosystem resilience capabilities for when these fragile environments are inevitably presented with disturbances such as tropical storms or disease.

Mālama Maui Nui’s ultimate goal for “Get the Drift and Bag It!” is to have groups across the County of Maui cleaning up all accessible shorelines and waterways, so that every possible stretch of coastline may benefit from the community’s efforts.

Volunteers count their litter collection at the 10th annual Lahaina Town Cleanup at Kamehameha Iki Park. Photo Credit: Jen Cox via Mālama Maui Nui.

The Maui Kickoff for “Get the Drift and Bag It!” campaign takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Kahului Harbor from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

While the campaign is scheduled to run on one particular day, community cleanup organizers can schedule their cleanups anytime from Sept. 19 through Oct. 18.

Interested groups can contact Mālama Maui Nui to add a cleanup to the participant list.  To request a coordinator’s packet, call (808) 877-2524 or email volunteer@cwdhawaii.org. A coordinator packet and kickoff event details are available online at the Mālama Maui Nui website.

Haleakalā Lions Club held a cleanup at Maliko Gulch. Photo courtesy of Haleakakā Lions Club via Mālama Maui Nui.