BERLIN – Two local residents are trying to inspire the public with a new cleanup effort.
Area residents Andy Blizzard and Andrew Duley launched Restore the Shore in February. Restore the Shore and its volunteers have now removed hundreds of bags of trash from local roads.
“There’s no way one group can clean up all the roads,” Blizzard said. “If we inspire other people I think we’d have a fighting chance.”
Blizzard partnered with Duley, who operates Seagull Disposal, in February. Duley said it was his trash truck drivers who brought the issue of litter on local roads—specifically back roads—to his attention.
“They’d call me and say ‘as much as we’re picking up we’re seeing on the side of the road,’” Duley said.
He then joined forces with Blizzard, who was already picking up roadside trash on his own, to create Restore the Shore, a local cleanup initiative. They use Facebook to share plans for road cleanups through the month. Blizzard said the group is always in need of volunteers.
“Not many people are cleaning up roads,” he said. “They want to clean up beaches.”
Since February, the group has cleaned Harrison Road, Bethel Road, Assateague Road, Sinepuxent Road, Holly Grove Road, Cathell Road, Adkins Road and Jones Road. Blizzard said Sinepuxent was the dirtiest, as it yielded 40 55-gallon bags of garbage.
“Every road we clean we plan on re-checking and keeping clean,” Blizzard said. “We’re pretty much adopting the road.”
While Duley initially had his company pick up the dozens of bags typically associated with each road cleanup, Worcester County Roads is now working with Restore the Shore to pick up the bags.
“We take feedback from the community and my team at Seagull and look for the worst roads,” Duley said. “We don’t typically go to the beach or the easy areas. We go out in the county. That’s why Worcester County Roads helps us.”
Last month Restore the Shore volunteers were dismayed to find an illegal dumping area during a cleanup on Trappe Road. As a result Blizzard said they only scratched the surface there but have plans to go back June 5.
“We’ve already had one cleanup and estimate we’ll need two more,” he said.
He’s hopeful volunteers will come out for the June 5 event, which will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. He said donations are also welcome. For more information, visit the Restore the Shore Facebook page.
“Our whole thing is not sensationalism, it’s getting the biggest environmental impact we can,” Duley said.
