Unfortunately, not all people who go to the beach understand how their actions affect the people and environment around them. Trash is a huge issue.

Though there are trash cans at all the entrances to the beach, not everyone sees fit to use them, and on weekends there is just too much trash for the cans. (There appears to be little or no concept of carry in-carry out.) Some nights, people party at the beach and just leave their trash or worse, see if they can throw their empty beer cans as far as the ocean.

This is Marcel. He and his wife come from Canada and stay in a hotel on the beach for a month each spring.

When he is here, he walks the beach, all the way to the pier and back (about 2 miles) with his 5-gallon bucket and his reacher (picker-upper) picking up the trash others leave behind.

I applaud his efforts, since he does not live here, yet he feels it is his obligation to clean up the beach and make it a better place for others.

Give him a hand — literally; the next time you see trash where it shouldn’t be, pick it up and dispose of it properly.

A straw, bottle cap, or a shiny piece of cellophane is not just unsightly, it can be deadly to wildlife. If you have any doubt about the impact of trash in our environment, watch this video shot on Midway Island, thousands of miles from civilization.

Give a hoot, don’t pollute.