Young Carpinterian Leads a Year-Round Beach Clean Up Effort With Yellow Basket Racks
CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) - An easy way for the public to help with beach clean ups in Carpinteria has come together with an idea from a 14-year-old Carpinteria resident, Elias Sprague.
He is spending part of his summer in Junior Lifeguards as part of his love of the ocean and waterfront, but before the summer started, he worked with the city on the effort he hopes other kids and families join in on. City leaders say there is a growing interest among local youth and families in environmental stewardship and this is one of the ways they can take part either as an individual or with others.
Sprague is working with Carpinteria Beautiful and Relic Coastal Collaborative.
On the side of the Ash Avenue lifeguard tower there is a special rack with yellow baskets for a grab-and-go process. Nearby there is a special trash to toss the debris or small items that were picked up.
Recently Sprague was with the group Tidy Seas and fellow Junior Lifeguards for a cleanup that is a part of that program. His effort is throughout the year.
City leaders say it is a beneficial addition to the beach access point where some residents come and walk daily, often at day break. They can be the first to do a clean up sweep.
Sprague described the process in front of a stack of six baskets. "This is a way people pick up a basket like this and pick up trash and dump it in a dumpster right over there," he said. Some of the items found Tuesday included plastic lids, cups, a sock, a discarded toy, and many remnants from illegal fireworks from the 4th of July.
Carpinteria Environmental Program Specialist Tatianna Suriel, "instead of saying maybe that is a great idea we can think about it, we said how can we make this happen?" It included permits and approvals that came through with the city of a fast track.
When you are done, there is a QR code for you to comment on your trash pick up effort.
"You write in what you picked up, thoughts about the station and ideas to improve it . We just want as much data about it as possible," said Sprague.
He is also working with Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee, a former City Councilman, on expanding the basket locations to other areas of the South Coast. Another possible nearby location is at Linden Ave. which gives access to the state beach site to the east, often filled to capacity during the summer months.
The Carpinteria City beach is also known as "The World's Safest Beach."
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