Help Florida Oceanographic Society keep our Martin County beaches clean!
The Beach Cleanup Program provides an opportunity for families, individuals and groups to participate in beach cleanups in Martin County at a time most convenient for them. Every one of us can do something to help protect our environment. Take action today, and every day, by removing trash and man-made debris from areas where it doesn't belong.
Florida Oceanographic has partnered with My Coast to collected data on local beach cleanups that can be used for research and better management of trash disposal. You can help by logging the trash you collect on the My Coast app.
Get started with the steps below:
Download the My Coast App Here
When you arrive at the designated beach:
- Login into the MyCoast app
- Click “Add Report”
- Select the beach or causeway your cleaning up
- Note: Florida Oceanographic has adopted Stuart Beach, Waveland Beach, Jensen Beach, Jensen Causeway Park, Stuart Causeway, Santa Lucea Beach, Fletcher Beach, Clifton S. Perry Beach and Bathtub Reef Beach
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Select "Florida Oceanographic Society" as the organization
Make sure to take a photo of your collected trash and upload it to your app.
When complete, dispose of your trash and recyclables properly (see tips below).
*For those interested in earning volunteer hours, please see section below for details.
Thank you for your help to Save Our Waters!
- Use a bucket for your trash instead of a trash bag to cut down on plastic waste.
- Be mindful of the wind so items you collect don’t blow out of your bucket/bag.
- Gloves or trash pickers are recommended for your safety.
- Don’t forget the small items, such as broken pieces of plastic, as they can do just as much harm to wildlife as the big pieces.
- Avoid walking in the dunes.
- Properly dispose of all trash/marine debris after cleanup.
- Thank you for taking the time to cleanup and for participating in this program! You are making a difference for the environment in your community!
The Beach Cleanup Program is a great way to get credit for volunteer hours on your own timeframe. It is as easy as registering to be a Florida Oceanographic volunteer, downloading the approved app, and beginning your cleanup.
Please note that if you are looking to get credit for volunteer hours, you must be a Martin or St. Lucie County resident and get pre-approval from Florida Oceanographic’s Volunteer Coordinator. This program is not designed for court mandated hours. For questions, email Rosemary Badger at rbadger@floridaocean.org.
Follow these steps to get approved and start earning hours:
- Complete the online Florida Oceanographic volunteer application.
- Email the Volunteer Coordinator so that we can get you properly setup in our system. Without prior approval, your hours may not be able to be verified.
- Download and register with the MyCoast app.
- Conduct a "test" cleanup and email the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure it went through before you proceed with a cleanup.
- When you arrive at the designated beach/park, login into the MyCoast app, select the correct beach and Florida Oceanographic Society as the organization. Make sure to take a photo of your collected trash and upload it to your app. Then dispose of your trash and recyclables properly.
- Once completed, email the Volunteer Coordinator so your beach cleanup can be verified with MyCoast.org and you can receive volunteer hours. Florida Oceanographic tracks and reports hours that individuals spend on volunteer activities, including beach cleanups in our annual Impact Report.
- Please note that all minors must be accompanied by an adult during any beach cleanup.
Help keep our beaches Dark and Flat, as well as Clean for sea turtles.
Follow and share these tips to protect sea turtles.
