PANAMA CITY, Fla.- There is debris all over the county because of the hurricane, and we’re also seeing debris in our waterways but the garbage found on the shoreline isn’t a problem brought on by the storm.
Thankfully, one local group is taking it upon themselves to pick up around the bay. David Parker grew up in Bay County and fishing is a big part of his lifestyle. However, he said a large amount of trash in the water is impacting our ecosystem.
“You see bottles and beer cans, and food containers and garbage and fishing line… miles of fishing line all over the place just left there,” said Creator of Bay County Clean, David Parker.
While the storm brought larger debris like pieces of docks and damaged boats, he said smaller debris and trash has been a problem for years.
Parker started a Facebook group 5 years ago in an effort to engage the community and clean up the area themselves.
On Sunday, Parker along with 6 others, cleaned up the area under the Hathaway bridge and collected 6 huge trash bags full of garbage.
“We’re from Dothan, and we come by here and fish out here very often and it’s just a great job that people come out here and take that incentive to clean up the trash, so we can come out here and enjoy these waters,” said a visitor to Panama City, Gary Austin.
Parker encourages others to follow their example. “Take some Walmart bags or a garbage bag, and just pick up around you and make sure you take what you brought in, out with you. This is our country, this is our land. Give it a little more respect than we do and treat it better than we do,” he said.
If you’re interested in lending a helping hand, you can join his Facebook group ‘Bay County Clean’.
