Hurricane Ian: Miami resident improvises beach cleanup and removes hundreds of pounds of trash

Andrew Otazo is a regular waste collector in Florida on the beaches but also in the mangroves, these ecosystems which protect the coast from erosion and slow down the rise of water during episodes of violent winds. He hopes to draw the attention of elected officials to the issue of waste reduction.

After Hurricane Ian , there were several heroes: those who saved strangers stuck at home, others who saved animals, and then there is Andrew Otazo, 35, who is entitled to a full page in the Washington Post for cleaning up the Key Biscayne beach. It is a small island that is part of Miami County, at the very bottom of Florida, and was on the front line of receiving all the trash thrown on the shore by the storm.

On his way home after the hurricane passed, Andrew Otazo came across hundreds of rubbish strewn on the sand. He went to get gloves and bags and embarked on an express cleaning, before the ocean took over with the rising tide.

A friend joined him, then two strangers, and, in one hour, they collected 140 kilos of waste: the classic plastics, bottles, bags, fishing nets, but also dozens of lobster traps, these cages which, once they have lost their anchorage, scrape the seabed, break the corals and injure fish, crabs, anemones. A lot of work, but he did another collection the next day: 240 kilos removed. And he will collect again later, " because once you start , he told the Washington Post , you can't stop. "

For five years, Andrew Otazo has been picking up litter like other people jog. Every weekend, he cleans a site, beaches therefore but above all mangroves, since they are the ones that protect the coast from erosion and block the rising waters in the event of a storm, as for Ian.

The services they provide are therefore vital, and yet the mangroves are fragile and abused. Andrew Otazo found all types of waste there, stuck between the roots: toilet bowls, ironing board, virtual reality helmet, and even a body bag, " fortunately empty ". In five years, he collected 10 tons of waste. He is now trying to attract the attention of local elected officials, and mainly the governor of Florida since he is the only one who can legislate, for example, to ban plastic bags.

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