BATON ROUGE, La. — Registration has opened for Love Our Waterways, a new statewide cleanup initiative scheduled throughout September that aims to remove litter and marine debris from Louisiana’s rivers, lakes, bayous, beaches and shorelines.
The program, organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful in partnership with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, builds on the volunteer model used during the state’s annual Love the Boot Week cleanup campaign. Organizers are encouraging residents, businesses, schools, civic organizations and community groups to participate in cleanup efforts across Louisiana.
State officials said the initiative highlights the importance of Louisiana’s waterways to the state’s economy, seafood industry, tourism sector, wildlife habitats and outdoor recreation opportunities. Louisiana has approximately 14,400 miles of navigable waterways.
Volunteers will be asked to collect litter and debris from shorelines and waterways, clear drains and ditches, and participate in cleanup efforts by boat where appropriate. Participants also will document the types of debris collected and identify larger abandoned items such as derelict crab traps and abandoned vessels. Organizers said the data will be shared with partner agencies to support future cleanup and removal efforts.
According to Keep Louisiana Beautiful, much of the marine debris found in waterways originates from litter discarded on land and carried into rivers, lakes and coastal areas through stormwater runoff and other means.
The cleanup campaign coincides with International Coastal Cleanup Month in September and World Cleanup Day on Sept. 20.
Volunteers can register cleanup events or find local opportunities to participate at https://www.lovelawaterways.org. Keep Louisiana Beautiful said supply boxes will be provided to the first 200 registered groups, and promotional materials are available for participating organizations.
Additional details about the initiative are expected during a June 15 news conference at The Water Institute in Baton Rouge. The event will include representatives from Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and The Water Institute, followed by a volunteer cleanup effort.
Corporate sponsors supporting the initiative include Pinnacle Polymers, Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association, Cleco, Five-S Group, The Kearny Companies, Port NOLA, Premier Plaza and the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful is a state program within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism that focuses on litter prevention, beautification, recycling and environmental stewardship initiatives across the state.