On The Edge

Earth Day Clean-Up Success

By Peter Pan

Neither the rains, fog, or winds, could keep the Annual Earth Day Beach Clean-Up and Recycling Program, from yet another huge success.  It was Rhode Island Surfrider Foundation’s Sherri Fournier and Carissa Lord who were the first ones to arrive in the dreary, fog- bound south parking lot of the Narragansett Town Beach.  Soon afterwards, volunteers began to show up, including a strong contingent of Eastern Surfing Association and Surfrider Foundation members.  Surfers and ocean lovers came from as far away as Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut, to help clean up the area beaches and surfing spots.

Probably the most productive volunteer was Wakefield’s Ted Sorlein, who contributed several hundred pounds of trash and rubbish from several hours of work.  Sorlein, one of the area’s top surfers, spent over one hour cleaning up Monahan’s Dock.  “There were lots of plastic bags, foam cups, and other trash at both the dock and nearby,” said Ted.  “There were a bunch of guys out surfing.  They watched, but no one offered to help.  It would be real nice to see some of the better surfers from around here donate a few hours and help out with a clean-up once and awhile.”

Kevin McCleod, an environmental scientist and Sarah Brescia, a pharmacy student, both from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, spent their time clearing out the area around the Narragansett Towers and the Coast Guard House Restaurant.

  “We picked up a lot of plastic trash,” said Kevin.  “And much of it was embedded in the rocks.  Almost all of it was recyclable.  One thing that was disturbing was the amount of trash that was blowing around and out of the dumpsters in back of the restaurant.  All the garbage was just going into the ocean.”

Krissy Gelormini of Plainville, Massachusetts, concentrated her efforts at the Point Judith Lighthouse and the Rose Nulman Park, adjacent to the coast guard station.  “We picked up quite a bit of plastic litter, aluminum cans, and fishing line from the rocks leading down to the ocean,” she said.  “I was surprised at the large amount of dog poop that was just all over the grass in the park.  People should pick up after their animals.”

Busy loading old computers into the E-trash trailer, was Narragansett Parks and Recreation Department Director, Barry Fontaine.  He seemed quite pleased with the turnout.  He noted that the Narragansett Town Beach is going to include a recycling campaign into this year’s operations.  “We are working with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) on the project.  With the help of a grant, we will be informing beach patrons as they enter, and let them know that they can drop off cans and plastics on the way out.  The state beaches have been doing this for a few years, and it has been very successful.”  Barry also mentioned that the recreation department is seeking sponsors for “Mutt Mitt” dispensers that will be placed at various locations on the beach.  These “Mutt Mitts” are plastic gloves that can be used to pick up animal droppings, and are free to the public.  Interested parties can contact the Narragansett Recreation Department at 401.782.0658 for more information.

Mike Mesolella, RIRRC Municipal Recycling Coordinator, said that the inclement weather was really no factor in the success of the Eco Depot and E-Trash collections.  Area residents came in a steady stream for almost five hours, loaded with all sorts of toxic and hazardous wastes, along with hundreds of junk computers, monitors, cell phones and broken electronic devices of every conceivable type.  “We filled almost an entire trailer with electronic junk,” said Mike.  “I would estimate that we took in around 15 tons of E-junk.”

Joe Rotella, RIRRC Eco Depot and Community Relations Manager, said that the volume of hazardous wastes collected was very impressive.  “Two trailers full and over 50,000 pounds of some bad stuff was collected,” said Joe.  “This is the third time we got quite a bit of hydrofluric acid.  That is very dangerous stuff.  It can eat right through to your bones.  I don’t know where it is coming from.”  He did say that the most unusual item that was dropped off was a box of original ammonia smelling salts.  “This package was from the 1930’s, and it was in surprisingly good condition,” said Joe.

Clean-Up officials did note that quite a few residents came by the drop off sites, after the designated times of collection, and more wastes and E-trash would have been collected if the timing had been better.  People were still driving up with drop off items up to two hours after the collections were over.

Surfrider Foundation and the Eastern Surfing Association offered volunteers a free cookout, coffee, and donuts during the clean-up operations.  Surfboards were available for volunteer usage, as well.  Most surfboards were in action, due to the excellent 3-6 foot waves.  Almost 100 volunteers gathered for the afternoon cookout.  One volunteer summed up the day’s work in one sentence. “Well, at least the beaches around here will be clean for a day or so.  It won’t take long for people to start trashing it again.”