A student-led organization, Send it 4 the Sea,hosted a clean-up around the abandoned Miami Marine Stadium this past Sunday.
Volunteers walked along the shore and went into mangroves to remove trash.
They gathered items as large as a three-foot plastic mat and scoured the sand for microplastics. One of the participants, Deirdre Stinson, explained and demonstrated how abundant small pieces of trash are.
“You saw the big piece that got taken, those are those big impressive pieces that you want to take out,” said Stinson. “But when you just look through the dirt, I could keep combing out several micro pieces of plastic. It’s important to get as many of them out of the environment as possible. They should not be here to begin with.”
Co-founder of Send it 4 the Sea, Cody Barreras, explained why the organizations chose Virginia Key for the clean-up.
“We have a lot of love for this island right here,” he explained. “This is a spot that is very special to us and we really want to keep it clean. Whether it’s rainy or sunny, it’s all love and we are here to clean it up and just help do what we can.”
To find more clean ups and restoration projects, follow the organization Send it 4 the Sea through the Instagram @sendit4thesea.
