Members of the INEOS Aromatics team, families, and local government authorities took part in South Carolina’s largest one-day volunteer waterway cleanup event, the Beach & River Sweep. Since 1988, South Carolinians have participated in similar events to clear beaches, rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps, and barrier islands of aquatic debris. Barrier islands are critical to protecting coastal communities and ecosystems from extreme weather as they absorb wave energy before waves hit the mainland.
This year, five boats ferried 37 volunteers representing INEOS from the Isle of Palms Marina to the beach front of Capers Island, an undeveloped barrier island 15 miles north of the Charleston Harbor. From there the teams swept the beach, removing trash, rope, fishing lines, nets, traps and other debris.
The trash was removed from the island and sent to a local processing center to be sorted and recycled with some items being repurposed and reused.
Key stats:
- 37 total volunteers (INEOS employees and family members), including SC Department of Natural Resources
- 4+ miles of beach cleaned
- 40+ bags of trash
- 4 crab traps
- Over 300lbs of trash removed from the island
- 1 Horseshoe crab rescued
More on the beach sweep initiative.