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Environmental group to hold annual Makua Beach cleanup

The fifth annual cleanup of Makua Beach in West Oahu is scheduled for this Saturday and expected to clear out more than 10,000 pounds of trash from the coastal area.

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a Honolulu-based non-profit, is teaming up with Na Kama Kai to organize a large-scale cleanup of Makua Beach and adjacent beaches from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

“We fill an entire 40-foot container every year,” said executive director Kahi Pacarro. “It’s all trash that is dumped, people partying and leaving it on the beach, all domestic Oahu trash.”

Among the items volunteers cleaned up last year, he said, were construction materials, pop-up tents, beer bottles and mattresses. A patchwork of homeless people live in the area, Pacarro said, so volunteers use an amnesty approach, offering to help homeless clean up their trash since they have few options.

Some 250 volunteers are expected to participate. In 2015, the group collected 14,000 pounds of trash, and in 2016, 10,000 pounds of trash.

The meeting spot is at 9 a.m. at Makua Beach, with cleaning until noon, followed by lunch and activities, including standup paddleboarding offered by Na Kama Kai, a non-profit connecting keiki with the ocean.

“We encourage the local community out there to join us,” said Pacarro.

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