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Family hopes trash pickup will inspire others

Sometimes a storm can stir up more than frothy waves, wind and rain. For Bonniebrook resident Dave Robens it stirred up a desire for a cleaner beach. On Jan.
beach
Molly, Dave and Zev Robens at the beach at Bonniebrook.

Sometimes a storm can stir up more than frothy waves, wind and rain.

For Bonniebrook resident Dave Robens it stirred up a desire for a cleaner beach.

On Jan. 15, after intense winds battered Bonniebrook Beach and Ocean Beach Esplanade in Elphinstone, Robens went out with his 14-year-old daughter, Molly, to pick up the trash washed ashore and garbage hidden in vegetation along the beach.

The next day, his 11-year-old son, Zev, and his wife, Tara, joined them.

All told, over about two and a half hours walking one kilometre of the beach, the family collected two large garbage bags of trash – and 20 smaller bags of dog poop. Also in the tally – plastic foam, metal and fibreglass from broken boats, 80 beer cans, cigarette butts, broken glass, plastic bags, a vehicle floor mat, jacket and a vacuum.

Items too large for trash bags: at least two aluminum boats “absolutely devastated” by the storm and a fibreglass boat that washed up on the edge of the esplanade.

“Endless numbers of people were saying thank you,” said Robens. One family with two children who witnessed their effort was inspired to do the same the following day.

“I’m hoping this will inspire people to stop throwing poo bags and leave empties on the beach,” said Robens, adding he hopes it will also motivate others to get involved in cleanup efforts.

Spontaneous tidy ups

Individuals in other neighbourhoods have been involved in similar spontaneous tidy ups, including a small-scale sweep of Sargeant Bay after the same storm.

In 2019, a large volunteer-driven operation, including classes from Cedar Grove Elementary School, resulted in 47 “megabags” of trash hauled by helicopter off Elphinstone beachfront outside Gibsons.