Hideaway Beach Trash Patrol

In the shadow of the Jolly Bridge lies a stretch of highway that is in constant need of cleaning up. The Hideaway Beach “Trashers” have taken on the task of attempting to keep the area between the bridge and Isles of Capri Road as clean as possible. The sign erected by the country stating who was cleaning up the road was placed in the wrong location at the entrance to Hammock Bay giving us an area far beyond our ability to keep clean.

The sign should have been placed at the Isles of Capri intersection. One member of the “Trashers” stated, “we clean both sides of the road and a normal trash day is about 23 bags of everything imaginable that has been thrown out of car and truck windows or that has blown out of uncovered truck beds.” Some people just don’t care about beauty and litter on purpose, much like writings on buildings. The members of the Hideaway Beach trash patrol, most of whom are in their 70’s, consider it a civic duty to keep the area near our famous bridge as clean as possible so that visitors approaching Marco Island will see beauty not trash.

There have been some close calls for the “Trashers”. On one occasion a wild boar came out of the tree line and the group gave it plenty of room. Passing cars and trucks fly by at high rates of speed.  It’s a job that needs to be done.