Top Tips for Recycling at the Beach

Sometimes life’s a beach. I’m standing here at my favorite beach. I just finished a nice cool drink. I don’t see a recycling bin- what do I do?

The best beaches have recycling bins on site. Fort Lauderdale, for example, has containers for paper, glass and plastic, cans and drink cartons that are buried in the sand and can hold up to six yards of recyclables, minimizing collection trips and costs. The container design prevents odors, is inaccessible to animals, and even minimizes the attraction of insects.

But what if you’re not so lucky or your favorite beach is remote with no recycling? Simple: Bag it out.

Carry less to the beach in the first place: Use Thermoses and reusable water bottles for drinks. Bring your food in a cooler, packed in reusable containers, or at least reusable plastic bags.

If you carry it to the beach, carry it out again. We do this in the backcountry in northern Minnesota when canoe tripping. It’s the same for the beach. Take it home and recycle it.

Pick up anything others have left. Just because someone else is a jerk, don't shirk your opportunity to clean up the beach. It keeps the trash out of the ocean, the plastic gyres, and animal’s bellies.

Lobby the local government to put recycling bins at your favorite beach, if Fort Lauderdale can do it, why can’t they?