They picked the most appropriate place to finish a cleanup of litter and trash on Saturday – Beer Can Island.
The tiny isle on the rim of the Boynton Inlet, with its copse of Australian pines and rim of sand, has been known for its litter for at least 22 years. Saturday’s cleanup proved no exception.
“The beer of choice appears to be Icehouse,” said Sharon Locke, adviser to the Boynton Fire-Rescue Explorers Club.
But by the Police Athletic League members’ reckoning, it seemed to be Budweiser. “Beer can!” said Kendrea Wilson, 14, a Christa McAuliffe Middle School seventh grader helping with twin sister, Kendel. “Oooooh. Lots of them.”
Various groups of teens, youngsters and adults in Boynton spent their morning picking up trash as part of the Great Beautiful Palm Beaches Cleanup. About 50 volunteers – including some first-time juvenile offenders – picked up at least 70 bags.
They cleaned up Oceanfront Park, Boat Club Park and traveled to a 10-acre spot that is slated to be a park. And then Sea Tow Captain Bill Davis offered to ferry the cleaners to Beer Can Island, slated to become a bird refuge.
The four members of Boynton’s Police Athletic League and athletic director Joe Schoenberger boarded the Sea Tow boat and chugged out to the island where they planned to pick up enough trash to continue their lead. They already had picked up 25 bags.
It wasn’t hard to find litter, although maybe less easy than a few years ago.
“There’s no trash!” said Vanessa Subtul, 9, surveying the sand as the others headed in the woods.
“Trust me, you’ll find it,” Shoenberger told her.
“Joe look, someone left their drawers,” Kendrea said, gingerly holding plaid boxer shorts. Eventually, they found more pants, more shorts and even shoes.
“Let me know if you find a wallet,” Shoenberger quipped.
Why did they do it? “Because Bill made me do it!” said Britteny Anderson, 6, a kindergartener at Crystal Lakes Elementary, referring to Bill Tome, the league coordinator.
The Great Beautiful Palm Beaches Cleanup effort focused on 50 sites this year compared to 30 last year.
