See more butts?: Adopt A Beach Hawaii looking for more helping hands at Chun’s Reef

Jade Eckardt

NORTH SHORE—Adopt A Beach Hawaii (AABH) reported that in 2009, 474 volunteers spent approximately 948 hours cleaning up Kamehameha Highway and the North Shore’s beaches. They collected 8,530 pounds of trash and 89,253 debris items that were hauled to the dump. The volunteer organization estimates that, including labor and supplies, they saved the State of Hawaii approximately $15,000. In addition, six underwater clean ups provided 186 pounds of lead weights collected and recycled back to the fishermen.

Overall, cigarettes filters, cigar tips, and tobacco packaging—amounting to a grand total tally of 52,600 in the past year—makes up half of the debris found each year. AABH says this is contributed to by car manufactures no longer providing ashtrays for drivers. The organization recommends a “no smoking” ban on all of Hawaii’s beaches.

Several measures that would have set a ban on smoking at beaches were deferred this past legislative session.

Senate Bill 1050 would have prohibited smoking in the shoreline area of Waikiki Beach—under this measure, smoking would still have been allowed on public sidewalks immediately adjacent to the road. Senate Bill 2071 would have prevented smoking at all beaches, bus stops, and parks. And House Bill 68 went as far as prohibiting smoking on all public streets and sidewalks—storm drains lead straight to the ocean.

In the meantime, AABH is asking community members to join the North Shore Monthly Beach Clean up at Chun’s Reef on the last Saturday of every month as they could certainly use the helping hands. The clean-up begins at noon at the popular surf spot on Kamehameha Highway and signs are placed on the side of the road so volunteers can’t miss it.

The clean-up is held rain or shine, but dangerous waves or flooding may result in a cancellation and rescheduling of the beach clean up.

Sponsored by Save the Sea Turtles International and Save A Life Hawaii, volunteers are provided with trash bags, drinking water, and gloves. Attending community members are asked to bring a hat, sunscreen, and good shoes.

According to a report published by AABH, the top ten debris items collected on the North Shore of Oahu during 2009 were:

1. Cigarettes 52,130
2. Food Rappers/containers 6,226
3. Caps and lids 5,591
4. Plastic bags 5,048
5. Pieces of plastic 4,604
6. Styrofoam pieces 1,571
7. Glass bottles 1,451
8. Beverage cans 1,336
9. Broken glass 1,022
10. Straws/stirrers 680 (from Starbucks) 509

For more information, visit www.adoptabeachhawaii.org, www.seaturtlesinternational.org, or www.SaveAlifeHawaii.org.

October Beach Clean Up
Saturday, October 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
61-529 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Chun’s Reef, (North Shore)

November Beach Clean Up
Saturday, November 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
61-529 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Chun’s Reef, (North Shore)

Christmas Beach Clean Up
Saturday, December 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
61-529 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Chun’s Reef, (North Shore)


Editor’s note: Updated with information on legislative measures at 11:52.