It’s low tech – no moving parts.
It has no cost to taxpayers – donated buckets and signage.
It is an unmanned project – no staff and no limited hours.
It’s strictly a volunteer project – beachgoers who want to pick up trash can do so much more easily.
The Town of Dauphin Island, “The Sunset Capital of Alabama,” has installed beach clean-up stations at each of the Town’s beaches.
Beachwalkers who want to can simply grab a bucket, pick up any trash they may see, empty it into a receptacle, and then return the bucket. It’s that easy and will help keep the island’s beaches clean.
Signage at the stations was donated by Instant Sign Center. Buckets at the stations were donated by Lowe’s of Tillman’s Corner. The buckets carry the large Lowe’s logo.
To diminish the two problems of the buckets filling with rainwater and being stolen for personal use, holes are drilled in the bottoms of each bucket. The rain drains. And who wants to steal a bucket with a hole in it? If some buckets disappear, holes and all, Lowe’s has plenty more. The advertising value of the large Lowe’s logo will go right along wherever the stolen bucket goes.
Each "Beach Clean-Up Station" consists of a creosote pole, a large sign on top, hooks for the buckets and seven hanging Lowe’s blue buckets ready for the beachcomber to take and return.
The instructions on the sign state:
1. Grab a bucket to pick up trash while you enjoy your stay at the beach.
2. Toss trash into a waste receptacle.
3. Return the bucket to a clean-up station.
If the Dauphin Island project is successful, it may serve as a model for beaches everywhere, including the inland beaches at Alabama’s many lakes and streams.
Leave only footprints.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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