Group collects garbage and recyclables through partnership with Keep Sarasota County Beautiful
Slightly more than four years ago — in June 2019 — Siesta Key residents Michael and Maria Shay signed an agreement with Keep Sarasota County Beautiful to “adopt” the full length of Ocean Boulevard, from Higel Avenue to Beach Road, under the guidelines of the organization’s Adopt-A-Road Program.
In accord with that agreement, the Shays and their team members gather up garbage and recyclables they find on that road several times a year. Shay has pointed out to The Sarasota News Leader in the past that the amount of materials they collect often demonstrates how busy the island has been in terms of visitors.
During their most recent outing — on Sept. 10 — the team members found Ocean Boulevard to be much cleaner than they had anticipated, Shay told the News Leader. He did note in a Sept. 11 email that the drainage trench close to Siesta Village “was full of water,” so the team was unable to reach some items.
The report he filed with Keep Sarasota County Beautiful, after the clean-up, documented the facts that the team members spent three man-hours collecting three bags of garbage and one bag of recyclables.
His team’s previous reports for this year were as follows:
- Jan. 21 — 4 hours; four bags of garbage; and two bags of recyclables.
- March 25 — 4 hours; four bags of garbage; and two bags of recyclables
- May 13 — 3.5 hours; two bags of garbage; and two bags of recyclables.
- July 15 — 4.5 hours; three bags of garbage; and three bags of recyclables.
For comparison purposes, the News Leader is providing the statistics Shay reported in 2021:
- March 27, 2021 — 2.5 hours; three bags of garbage; and one bag of recyclables.
- May 12, 2021 — 3.5 hours; five bags of garbage; and one bag of recyclables.
- July 23, 2021 — 5 hours; seven bags of garbage; and four bags of recyclables.
- Sept. 10, 2021 — 5.5 hours; six bags of garbage; and three bags of recyclables.