MANATEE COUNTY, FL (September 17, 2024) – Manatee County Property Management staffers have started installing a series of trash bag dispensers around the county encouraging residents to pick up trash and debris.
It’s all a part of a first-in-the-nation partnership with the Florida-based Be a Better Human Project, which provides a custom dispenser, holding 300 2.6-gal compostable trash bags for folks to grab and fill… then deposit the litter in a close-by container. So far, the bag dispensers have been put in high-traffic areas like beaches and recreation areas.
“We currently have Coquina and Cortez Beach and two more that are going out at Manatee Beach,” said Parks Operations Manager David Shurmur. The initial installation at Premier Park took place near the Soccer field complex in July, with the visionary behind the movement designed to help encourage clean-ups praising Manatee County leadership for helping support his enterprising ecological endeavor.
“I was looking for someone who was doing what we were doing,” said Be a Better Human Project Founder Tom Holland. “They already had a bunch of environmental and conservation efforts already under way, so I through it was a great match up.”
Holland says Adopt-A-Highway studies show that voluntary labor can grab and dispose of trash 86% more effectively than paid employees. The small investment in each of the bag stations will pay for itself in reduced refuse removal costs. Staff will be tracking the success of the program and expand as needed all over Manatee County.
“So, when you can, grab a bag, fill it, and drop it in the trash bin,” said Manatee County At-Large Commissioner Jason Bearden. “It’s one small step toward being a better human.”