how to #lakecleanup
lake clean-ups are a great opportunity to bring together the local community to clean the waterways we love and use. lhere are several local park districts that host #lakecleanup events each year, as well as organizations nationwide — keep an eye out for them, but remember that anyone can clean a lake and create their own local event.
every little bit helps
whenever you’re out on a kayak or stand-up paddle board, make it a goal to bring back at least three pieces of garbage each time you go out. every little bit counts!
to build up a lean, mean lake cleaning machine, set a date, time + meeting place and start spreading the word.
contact your local boat dealership to see if they are interested in participating or if they could help support purchasing the materials needed
create a Facebook event group to centralize communications and encourage more participants
post about your #LakeCleanUp on your lake’s Facebook group (if there isn’t one already, create one and invite your neighbors)
invite neighbors on the lake, post about your clean-up on social media, start a group text with friends on the lake, etc.
reward your awesome job cleaning the lake with a group shred session
here’s what you’ll need
kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, pontoons, ski boats — the more you have out there with you, the better
floatation device for each person on the water — you at least need to have it strapped to your kayak or paddle board
trash bags — think large, contractor size
trash pickers — these are essential; you can grab them at a nearby hardware store
buckets with holes drilled through the bottom — you’ll likely have to drill holes yourself
disposable gloves — you don’t know how long that thing has been sitting in the water
water — bring along reusable bottles; remember to stay hydrated!
vehicle — you might need to haul trash to a local dumpster
best practices
use buckets instead of trash bags while you’re out on the lake — once you get back to land, dump any excess water from the buckets and grab those trash bags
have larger boats with you (e.g., pontoons, barges, wake boats, etc.) as a centralized hub to support the team — use the boats to dump the garbage in the buckets into the trash bags
again, grabbers are essential
keep in mind that some of the items you find are recyclable — try to recycle what you can
send photos to your local lake association for promotion and inspiration
take photos — tag #LakeCleanUp and email shots to hello@lakeloversclub.com and info@wsia.net
“After a storm, I drive our ski path to pick up any large debris. I’ve seen skiers hit branches and it’s not pretty. Having a community-wide Lake Clean-Up Day is a great way to encourage others to more regularly maintain safe waterways. Let’s all work together to keep our lakes clean!”
— Lesley Gunderson, Lake Lovers Club Ambassador