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Imagine the setting: pristine white sands dotted with algae. Clear, crystal waters ebbing gently with waves. A fishing boat idly drifts by, teeming with the morning’s catch.

It’s the idyllic summer beach scene. But then you spot it: litter. It could be stray fishing lines. A glass bottle. A potato chip bag.

Whatever the culprit, it’s a harsh reality that what ends up in our rivers often ends up on our beaches.

To combat the phenomenon, students at the ɫ����Ƶrecently installed a beach cleanup kiosk at the gateway to the University’s very own Freddy Beach.

The premise is simple: when beachgoers make their way to the shore, they can take a bucket from the kiosk, pick up and deposit any debris they come across, and place the bucket back for collection. The program, called Clean Seas ɫ����Ƶ, is modeled after the “Pitch-In” program hosted by the town of Scarborough.

The purpose of the kiosk is to normalize beach cleanups, said Alethea Cariddi, M.S.Ed., assistant director of Sustainability at ɫ����Ƶ.

“There will never be a shortage of trash, litter, and debris on our beaches, and so the Clean Seas program will allow our ɫ����Ƶ community to make routine beach cleanups fun, convenient, and instill a sense of pride,” Cariddi remarked.

A small crowd gathered at an unveiling for the kiosk on May 5 and applauded when the structure was revealed.

“We wanted to offer this service because we have such a vibrant beach community here and also because this is the home for students for much of the year,” said Jasmine Bouchard (Environmental Studies, ’23), vice-president of ɫ����Ƶ’s Earth’s ECO club. “It’s a great way to educate people on the importance of keeping their environment clean because this is where they live. This is their environment.”