More than 200 volunteers will pick up debris and litter Saturday along the Baton Rouge shorelines at the annual Baton Rouge Beach Sweep.The Baton Rouge Beach Sweep will be held from 8 a.m. to noon along River Road downtown and at 1920 Goudchaux on Scenic Highway. The Beach Sweep, sponsored by Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful and the Ocean Conservancy, is an attempt to clean the Baton Rouge waterway.  Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful is a non-profit organization working to increase community involvement and litter prevention.Beach Sweep volunteers will collect litter before nature sweeps it into the water.”A lot of litter gets washed into the waterways,” said George Strain, chair of Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful.Almost any kind of trash ends up in waterways and the Beach Sweep is a chance to prevent this from happening, Strain said.Beach Sweep volunteers have collected more than 20,000 pounds of litter, Strain said.The largest number of litter picked up is cigarette butts.  In terms of bulk and weight, fast food containers, bottles and cans are the biggest amount collected, he said.Noelle Knoll, a Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful volunteer board member, participated in the Beach Sweep last year.”It’s a positive event, and it reflects well on the community,” she said.Volunteers walked around the University Lakes and picked up trash, she said.People realize there is a litter problem but don’t realize how bad it is, said Bob Dillemuth, volunteer board member for Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful.”It really helps to get trash cleaned up”, he said. “Otherwise it gets washed in lakes and can harm animals and the environment.”Different groups of volunteers come every year.  In the past volunteers have included different student organizations at the University, Dillemoth said.Such groups as Campus Community Coalition for Change and Silver Wings as well as fraternities and sororities have volunteered in previous years.”It gives you a chance to get out and help in your community,” Dillemouth said.Both individuals and groups are encouraged to volunteer, he said. Onsite registration will be available starting at 7:30 a.m.
 
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Contact Cassie Hutchinson at [email protected]