Volunteers stenciled six storm drain inlets and picked up rubbish from Puamana to Mala during the 13th annual Lahaina Town Clean Up.

LAHAINA – The 13th annual Lahaina Town Clean Up was held on Saturday, Sept. 16. After the weigh-in, Maui Disposal reported six tons of materials collected at the event.

Over 300 volunteers – including school groups, civic clubs, local businesses, residents and visitors – spent the day cleaning up Lahaina streets, harbors and beaches from Puamana to the Mala Boat Ramp.

The cleanup was supported by Malama Maui Nui’s “Get the Drift and Bag It!” campaign, in conjunction with The Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanip Day.

“Get the Drift and Bag It!” is an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to join in a global effort to remove litter and debris from our coastal environment. The statewide campaign is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup that kicks off annually the third Saturday in September. The ICC engages hundreds of thousands of volunteers each year to take action for the ocean and for the creatures that depend on it (including humans).

Over its 30 years of existence, approximately 10.5 million people have picked up some 192 million pounds of litter across more than 150 countries.

Cleanup volunteers utilized the Clean Swell App to keep track of the debris removed during the cleanup. This data will be added to the International Coastal Cleanup’s marine debris database. Results from the data help inform policy and debris removal efforts.

In addition to the cleanup, student volunteers from Lahainaluna High School stenciled six storm drain inlets in Lahaina with the awareness message of “No Dumping Drains to Ocean.” The stenciling project was in partnership with the County of Maui to help people be mindful of how their actions on land can affect stream and ocean health.

“It was so great to get the students and their advisor from Lahainaluna High School involved with this stenciling project,” said Ashley Roussel, one of the event organizers. “The students got the chance to get involved and feel a sense of pride in their efforts to protect the area that they love to swim and surf.”

Event organizers Matt Lane, Roussel, Kristen McFarland and Tambara Garrick say they are already making plans for the 14th annual Lahaina Town Clean Up to be held in September 2018 and look forward to the community’s involvement.

“This event would not be possible first without the amazing volunteers, and second without the backing of our business sponsors who support this event and come back year after year,” said Garrick, who sits on the Board of Directors for LahainaTown Action Committee.

“We are so grateful for both the monetary and in-kind donations that allowed us to create an event that not only had a big impact but was also a lot of fun.”

Lahaina Town Clean Up event sponsors include Maui Surf Clinics, LahainaTown Action Committee, Ace Hardware, Down the Hatch, Volcom, Malama Maui Nui, County of Maui, Maui Surfrider Foundation, Maui Waveriders, Hui O Wa’a Kaulua, Jucker Hawaii, Paradise Lahaina, Breakwall Shave Ice, Goofy Foot Surf School, Beach Bum’s Island Grill, Peter Lik Gallery, Angus McKelvey, DJ Ron, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Tropic Water, Pacific’O, Lahaina Organics and Ocean Aid.