17th annual Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup (2024)

THIS WEEK IS THE TREASURE COAST WATERWAY CLEANUP. EACH YEAR THE COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AND REMOVES TRASH FROM WATERWAYS ALONG THE TREASURE COAST. AND HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR EFFORT IS BUTCH OLSON AND APRIL PRICE. WELCOME. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING. FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT THE TREASURE COAST WATERWAY CLEANUP IS. WELL, THAT’S SIMPLE. WE’RE CLEANING UP A 125 MILES OF WATERWAY. WE STARTED OFF AS A 4.5 HOUR EVENT, ONE SATURDAY A YEAR, AND IT’S EVERYBODY COMING OUT BY BOAT OR ON FOOT AND CLEANING UP OUR WATERWAY AREAS. AND KIND OF AN OBVIOUS QUESTION, BUT WHAT MADE YOU GUYS WANT TO START THIS? ACTUALLY, WE HAD A FUNDING THROUGH THE MARINE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION OF THE TREASURE COAST AND THE FLORIDA INLAND NAVIGATION DISTRICT FOR MARTIN COUNTY. WE APPLIED FOR THAT FUNDING BACK IN 2008 WHEN THEY SAID YES, BUT YOU ALSO COVER INDIAN RIVER AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTY. DO YOU WANT TO COVER THOSE COUNTIES, TOO? WE JUST STARTED OFF FROM THE BEGINNING, COVERING OUR WHOLE DISTRICT AREA. ALL RIGHT. THAT’S AWESOME. SO THIS WEEK IS SELF REPORTING CLEANUP. AND YOU HAVE A BIG EVENT GOING ON ON SATURDAY. SO TELL US ABOUT THAT. YES. SO THE SELF REPORTING PART IS CAME AROUND DURING COVID. WHAT THAT DID WAS IT ALLOWED PEOPLE TO AND ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS TO GO OUT AND GET MORE HOURS WORK AT THEIR OWN PACE. AND THEY CAN BE GETTING HOURS FOR THEIR COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS ALL WEEK LONG STARTING. SO ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS GO OUT, REPORT THEIR DATA AND ASK US FOR A LETTER OR TO SIGN THE FORM. AND WE’RE THEY’RE GOOD TO GO. ALL RIGHT. AND YOU HAVE AN EVENT ON SATURDAY. UM, TELL US ABOUT THAT ONE. OKAY. SO OUR SATURDAY IS OUR LIVE EVENT. THAT’S WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY SHOW UP TO THE SITES. IF YOU’RE SELF REPORTING, WE WANT YOU TO SUPPLY YOUR OWN SUPPLIES. AND WE WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR TRASH IS GOING TO BE DISPOSED OF. WHERE DO THEY PUT THE TRASH AFTER THEY PICK IT UP? UM, IF YOU’RE SELF REPORTING, YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN PUT TRASH SO DON’T MAKE TRASH IF YOU’RE COLLECTING IT. THAT’S THE BIGGEST MESSAGE THERE. BUT FOR THE CLEANUP DAY, WE HAVE ALL OF OUR TRASH CONTAINERS IN PLACE AT ALL THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE TREASURE COAST. THANKS TO OUR PARTNERSHIPS THERE. AND WE ALSO HAVE UM, AND THEN THAT’S WHERE WE’LL HAVE SUPPLIES AND EVERYBODY’S TOOLS, AND WE WILL SUPPLY EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY. THE DAY OF THE CLEANUP. WHEN YOU REGISTER, YOU REPORT TO THE SITE THAT YOU’RE GOING TO SHOW UP AT. AND IS THAT HOW PEOPLE JUST GET INVOLVED? THEY CAN JUST GO AHEAD TO THIS WEBSITE AND SIGN UP. YES. THAT THAT IS A WAY TO GET INVOLVED. WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED OUR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL OF OUR SITES. WE ARE HITTING 30 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THIS YEAR BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SITES, SO OUR DISTRIBUTION, OUR SUPPLIES ARE GOING OUT. IF FOR SOME REASON THEY DON’T HAVE YOUR T SHIRT WHICH HOLD UP THERE, THE T SHIRT SHOWING WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. SEE BUTCH. SO YOU GOT THIS T SHIRT IF YOU VOLUNTEER, CORRECT. YEP, YEP. NICE. VERY NICE. ALL OF OUR SPONSORS, ALL OF OUR SPONSORS ON THE BACK. BUT IT’S A COOL SHIRT AND THERE’S NO COST. AND EVERYBODY WILL GET ONE IF YOU DO NOT GET IF THEY DON’T HAVE YOUR SHIRT SIZE THERE, JUST WRITE IT WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR DATA. THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS SUBMITTING THE DATA, BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WE KNOW THAT WE’VE REMOVED 102 AND A HALF TONS SINCE 2008. WOW. THAT’S AMAZING. SO WE KNOW THAT SELF REPORTING WEEK IS GOING ON. NOW YOU HAVE YOUR BIG EVENT ON SATURDAY. BUT THERE ARE EVENTS THAT YOU DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS WELL. YES. YES WE DO THE UM SO THE MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, TREASURE COAST, WHICH IS IS THE OWNER OF THE EVENT. SO WE ALSO HAVE THE BOAT SHOW, WHICH IS THE THIRD, THE STUART BOAT SHOW, STUART BOAT SHOW, WHICH IS THE THIRD SATURDAY, THE THIRD WEEKEND OF JANUARY. THE SECOND WEEKEND EVERY JANUARY SECOND WEEKEND, EVERY JANUARY. AND WE ALSO HAVE THREE CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADES ON THE TREASURE COAST. WONDERFUL. GREAT ONE FOR EACH COUNTY. AND IF THEY NEEDED MORE INFORMATION FOR ANY OF THOSE EVENTS, THEY GO TO MITSY. ORG TO REGISTER. YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO GO TO THE WATER. I MEAN MITC. COM TO REGISTER, YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO GO TO, TO THE WEBSITE THAT YOU GUYS PUT ON THE SCREEN AND THAT WEBSITE THAT APRIL JUST MENTIONED WE HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE, RIGHT NOW, WPBF.COM. SO JUST GO THERE AND SEARCH TREASURE COAST WATERWAY CLEANUP AND ALL THE INFORMATION WILL BE THERE, I