Spring Cleaning the Outer Banks Beaches

After a winter of nor'easters, gales and blows, it's time to give our beaches and roadways a good spring cleaning. If you too have been noticing all those dastardly plastic grocery bags tangled up in bushes and trees and all the Mylar balloons and ribbons on the beaches, there are a few opportunities coming up to get out and pick up some trash to keep the Outer Banks beautiful and our ecosystems healthy.

Photo: Surfrider Foundation Outer Banks Adopt-A-Beach volunteers keeping Kitty Hawk clean. Photo: Surfrider Foundation Outer Banks

Keep it Clean, Kitty Hawk! Spring Community Trash Cleanup

Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. to noon

The Town of Kitty Hawk is hosting a community-wide trash pickup on Saturday. Meet at Kitty Hawk Town Hall for your assignment and a safety brief. Cleanup supplies will be provided, and a free lunch will be offered at noon. Town Hall is at 101 Veterans Memorial Drive.

Kill Devil Hills Trash Attack

Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. to noon

 

The Town of Kill Devil Hills invites everyone to help with their trash cleanup event. Meet at Aviation Park, 103 Veterans Drive by 9 a.m. to pick up gloves, grabbers and trash bags. Volunteers can attack trash anywhere they'd like, from the beach to the sound, along the roadways or in parks. In case of rain, the event will be held on Sunday, April 6.

 

An NCBBA member cleaning up a Highway 12 roadside. Photo North Carolina Beach Buggy Association | Facebook

North Carolina Beach Buggy Association Cleanup

Saturday, April 12, 7:30 a.m.

 

North Carolina Beach Buggy Association has been a member of N.C.'s Adopt-A-Highway program for 30 years. Their stretch of highway runs from the Marc Basnight Bridge south three miles along both sides of they highway. They welcome helpers at their cleanup. Meet at ORV Ramp 4. They will issue gloves, grabbers, vests and garbage bags. To sign up email tom.brueckner@ncbba.org. They hold events throughout the year, so follow them and help out when you can.

Surfrider Foundation Beach Cleanup

Sunday, April 13, 4 to 5 p.m.

 

Meet at the Jockey's Ridge State Park Sound Access to clean up in one of Surfrider's series of seasonal beach cleanups. Meet at the access parking lot to receive gloves and bags, then you can choose the section of beach or park you'd like. Surfrider encourages participants to use the Marine Debris Tracker app to log the trash they pick up. Parking is limited so carpooling is recommended. Surfrider holds cleanup events throughout the year and needs volunteers for the cleanups and many other aspects related to keeping our beaches clean. Follow them to stay up to date.

 

Balloons: One of the most pervasive trash problems on the coast. Photo Ban Balloon Release NC Facebook

DIY Beach Cleanups

Of course you don't have to be part of an organized event to keep our beaches clean. You can pick up trash anytime you like and dispose of it properly. If you find trash or debris that is too big to move yourself, call the public works department of the town you're in and let them know where it is. Or call Cape Hatteras National Seashore at (252) 473-2111. 

 

Volunteers with the Adopt a Beach Program - Cape Hatteras National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

Adopt-A-Beach

Another option is to Adopt-A-Beach through Surfrider Foundation Outer Banks or Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which you can do solo or as part of a group. All the details you need for the Surfrider Adopt-A-Beach are here, and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Adopt-A-Beach program details are here.

 

Thanks to everyone who helps keep our beaches clean! Stay tuned to our Daytime and Nightlife listings for more beach cleanup activities and all the other fun local events coming up.