LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A Lake Worth Beach resident says he spends his daily beach visits picking up trash left behind by other beachgoers, raising concerns as sea turtle nesting season gets underway.
Thomas Biondo visits the Lake Worth Pier beach every day. Instead of enjoying the beach, he finds himself picking up what others leave behind.
"Everything from beer bottles, full liquor bottles, diapers. The beach like Saturday morning, Sunday morning, after holidays is really a mess," Biondo said. Just flat-out garbage, ziplock bags, and a ton of kids' toys."
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After hearing his concerns, WPTV reporter Christy Waite went to the beach on a Saturday morning to see the conditions firsthand. Before even reaching the beach, she found trash in the water fountain area — ziplock bags, styrofoam cups, paper and plastic bags, and water bottles tossed into the bushes.
On the shore, Waite found plastic bags filled with trash, aluminum cans, beer cans, water bottles and plastic cups littered close to the shore.
WPTV went to the city to find out whether other residents have complained and what is being done to keep the beach clean.
Stuart Sword, the assistant director for Leisure Services, says the city has received a few complaints about the trash. He says the city is doing its part to keep the beach clean.
"We have an industrial partner called Beach Keeper," Sword said. "It uses a tractor and a pull-behind rake that drags the beach up to the tideline on Fridays in preparation for the weekend and on Mondays to clean up from the weekend."
The city also says Public Works crews come out every morning at 7 to clean up. Waite was on the beach as Public Works crews were cleaning on a Saturday morning.
The city of Lake Worth Beach says the beach and its local restaurants are a highly trafficked area, with the beach alone seeing 50,000 to 60,000 visitors every month.
The city is reminding beachgoers to clean up after themselves and dispose of all trash. Beach cleanup stations are available where visitors can grab a bucket to pick up trash.
