HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN

JOIN A 1- HOUR CLEANUP EVERY FRIDAY MORNING

Ed is a 1½-year-old male domestic shorthair. He’s an independent kitty who likes the occasional head scratch and would do well with a kitty friend at home.

Millie is a 6½-year-old female medium mixed breed. She’s as sweet as they come with people, but needs to be the only animal in the home. She is strong and full of energy and will need a family that can give her lots of exercise.

toys.

Bixby is an adult male rabbit. He’s a little shy – he’s not one to make the first move – but with a bit of time and patience. he could make someone a great housemate and friend.

Maya is a 3-year-old female domestic shorthair. She can be shy, and wary of other cats, but once she is comfortable with you, she is all love.

On Feb. 18, the Ploggers participated in a fentanyl awareness event at Smathers Beach. Stacey Croston asked that her family participate in a cleanup in remembrance of what would have been her daughter Mona’s 21st birthday. Croston would like this to become an annual event and would like to thank the Guidance Care Center, Monroe County Coalition and the Ploggers for their support in raising awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.

One hour a week makes a huge difference, and volunteers are welcome every Friday morning, from 8 to 9 a.m., when the Key West Ploggers clean up a designated area of the island. Gloves, pickers, buckets, vests, hand sanitizer and a parking pass are provided to all volunteers.

A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls. Please remember your reusable bags when shopping so we can keep the plastic off the streets, parking lots and, most importantly, out of the water. And dispose of cigarette butts in any receptacle rather than the street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.

The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. With simple steps like making sure you bag your trash before putting it in your Waste Management trash cans or Dumpsters, and making sure the lids on Dumpsters are closed, will keep a lot of trash from blowing into the streets. Call Waste Management at 305-296-8297 for any furniture items left on the city right of way.

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.

The Ploggers met at the VFW on North Roosevelt Boulevard for the Friday morning cleanup on Feb. 17, when 31 volunteers collected 123 pounds of trash, 15 pounds of recycling and nearly 4 gallons of cigarette butts in one hour. Thank you to the Southernmost VFW Post 3911 for hosting and providing coffee and donuts for all the volunteers.

It takes committed community involvement to Keep Key West Beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot that’s adopted. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help. —

Join an upcoming Friday morning cleanup from 8 to 9 a.m. See next week’s Keys Weekly for the March schedule. Feb. 24: Eaton & Whitehead streets (Meet in the parking lot of First Horizon Bank.)