A small army of volunteers is needed for the 14th annual Lahaina Town Clean Up on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers of all ages will gather at Kamehameha Iki Park at 8 a.m. for registration and snacks before combing Lahaina streets, harbors and beaches from Puamana to Mala Boat Ramp.

Last year, more than 300 volunteers, including school groups, civic clubs, local businesses, residents and visitors, picked up around six tons of rubbish.

Lunch will be provided by Pacific’o Restaurant at the conclusion of the cleanup at noon.

In addition to giving Lahaina Town a much-needed cleaning, the event has global implications.

The Lahaina Town Clean Up is supported by Malama Maui Nui’s “Get the Drift and Bag It!” campaign in conjunction with The Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.

This worldwide effort raises awareness of the importance of litter prevention in the wider conservation movement and enlists citizen scientists to record the types and quantities of the litter they collect. (Cleanup volunteers are asked to download and utilize the Clean Swell App to keep track of the debris removed during Saturday’s cleanup.)

MMN will submit the data collected locally to the global Ocean Trash Index managed by the Ocean Conservancy. Researchers pull information from this massive database of cleanups happening around the world each year to develop science-based solutions that aim to eliminate ocean trash and achieve a healthy, thriving ocean.

For more information, or to volunteer for the town cleanup, contact Matt Lane at askmattlane@gmail.com or Tambara Garrick at tambarag@gmail.com.

Malama Maui Nui calls on anyone who considers Maui County their home – whether for generations or for a two-week vacation – to pitch in and help protect the ocean and marine life from litter.

Litter in any form and of any type can cause damage to wildlife and pollute natural resources. Give a gift to Lahaina and get trash off of our beaches.