Sunday, May 19, 2013

By Lauren Folino
Published: July 30, 2009

The absence of trash bins along Joseph Sylvia State Beach has created quite a mess for beachgoers attracted to the county-managed beach shared by the towns of Oak Bluffs and Edgartown.

Beachgoers have removed the lids of sand filled barrel traffic barriers at Big Bridge for use as makeshift trashcans at Joseph Sylvia State Beach. Photo by Lauren Folino

The approximately two-mile stretch of beach separates Sengekontacket Pond from Nantucket Sound and is popular with families due to the absence of crashing surf and strong currents. But there are few public amenities.

There are no restrooms and no trash barrels along the beach. The town of Edgartown, which owns and manages the southern end of the beach, known as Bend-in-the-Road Beach, provides a lifeguard and trash barrels.

The county relies for trash collection on signs posted at various beach entry points that remind visitors that the beach has a "carry in, carry out" policy. But, the lack of trash receptacles has led to an accumulation of trash along the beach, which is unsanitary for beach patrons and harmful to efforts to protect nesting shorebirds.

"The garbage problem is completely out of hand," said Mary Kay Mazza, the owner of two hot dog stands she sets up in parking areas adjacent to Big Bridge and Little Bridge under a license from Oak Bluffs. "We'll get here in the morning and there will be pizza boxes, Styrofoam coolers with empty liquor bottles and big, white trash bags just full of garbage," she told The Times

Ms. Mazza said that she has contacted both town and county officials about the trash situation, and from her perspective, little has been done to remedy the problem. "Years ago they used to have bins out here and everyone dumped their household trash, so that's why they got rid of them," she said. "But, now, Oak Bluffs says it's Dukes County's responsibility, and Dukes County says, 'Oh, no, it's Oak Bluffs.' This is a state beach, and so they all get away with doing a lot of finger pointing about who is responsible, but nothing really gets resolved."

Dukes County manages the beach on behalf of the Commonwealth.

County Manager Russell Smith said that he periodically sends personnel to pick up trash as needed, but there is not enough money in his $1.7 million budget to routinely deal with the trash problem.

Mr. Smith said that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provides an annual grant of $30,000 to assist with the management of State Beach.

Nearly half of that funding is paid to the Massachusetts Audubon Society to monitor and protect nesting shorebirds, and the rest is used for projects like beach nourishment and dune restoration, he said.

In explaining why there are no trash barrels along the beach, Mr. Smith said, "They immediately fill up with garbage, which is one of the conundrums across the Island. Renters and visitors often don't know where the dump is, or where to dispose their trash, so they put household, private trash in public trash receptacles."

Mr. Smith said he sometimes will enlist community service programs to aid with beach cleanup, or community service volunteers contact him directly.

"The trash situation is an Island-wide problem, it's not just at State Beach," Mr. Smith said. "It is a carry in, carry out beach, and that is the solution. Sometimes I go out there and I say, 'Oh my God, look at all this trash,' but we find a way to clean it."

Oak Bluffs Highway Department superintendent Richard Combra Jr. said he is often contacted about the trash problem. He said that Oak Bluffs has no jurisdiction over that part of the beach, and it's not the town's responsibility to keep it clean. "I think there is an issue out there with trash, and people not taking it out with them, but I'm not really sure what the solution is," he said.

In the meantime Ms. Mazza fights against the tide. She said she provides one trashcan at each of her hot dog stands for her patrons to dispose of their garbage.

The bins attract passersby and she often must dispose of other people's trash at her own expense. "A week ago, I had a man who had three bagfuls of empty beer cans," she said. "He came up and started dumping his trash in my trash can. I said, 'Excuse me, sir,' and he completely ignored me. Another guy said to me, 'Where else am I supposed to dump this?'"

Another problem, she said, is that people are hiding trash in the sand barriers next to big bridge. The large, yellow sand barriers have black lids and resemble trashcans, and some beachgoers are using them with that purpose in mind.

"People are just taking the lids off these sand barriers and using them for garbage," Ms. Mazza said. "But, the garbage is overflowing and it's disgusting. They're dumping their trash all over this beautiful Island and it bugs me."