South Florida’s economy depends on tourists who come to the area to enjoy the beaches, fish in the waterways, and sit back and marvel over one of our gorgeous sunsets.
The area’s national beauty and resources sustain livelihoods. But South Floridians are failing as the stewards of this precious, natural resource.
Streets, beaches and canals are filled with trash. Little Havana, for instance, is has storm drains clogged with trash. And, while it may be more than four miles from Biscayne Bay, you can see its environmental footprint every time it rains. That’s when all the street trash gets swept up into the storm water system that then dumps it into the bay.
The tidal wave of trash entering Biscayne Bay has gotten so bad that the City of Miami has contracted a company to install netting to trap the mounds and mounds of litter before it enters the water.
There are more stories, unfortunately, like this throughout South Florida.
“Takeout containers, forks, knives, bottles cans — almost everything you can buy at a supermarket or convenience store is what’s washing up here on the shores of our bay,” environmentalist Theo Quenee told Local 10′s anchor and environmental advocate Louis Aguirre.
Aguirre is now leading a Local 10 News campaign recently launched called “Don’t Trash Our Treasure.” The segment airs weekly on Local 10 and you can also find the stories on Local10.com.
Here’s how you can get involved.
Send us your “Don’t Trash Our Treasure” story ideas and questions
See a list of beach cleanup groups where you can volunteer to help
CLICK HERE to see all of Local 10′s “Don’t Trash Our Treasure” reports.