Fairhope’s Proactive Approach to Reducing the Use of Plastic

The City of Fairhope is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Mobile Baykeeper’s Reduce the Use program, a campaign made possible through NOAA’s Marine Debris Prevention program that strives to improve the health of our waters by curbing consumption of single-use plastic. Similarly, Fairhope’s Litter Abatement program at Winn Dixie pond, promises to be the beginning of more initiatives to clean up the city’s streets and waterways. Winn Dixie pond is a regional stormwater run-off detention area that is adjacent to the Baldwin Square Shopping Center. The Litter Abatement program started in 2022 and is managed by contractor Don Bates with the Osprey Initiative, an environmental contractor.

“The plan is to study the problem first to see what’s there. What are the issues regarding litter and how can we remove it at the source? Plastic proves to be at the top of the litter list, with plastic bags being the number one plastic found in and immediately around our pond so far,” says Kim Burmeister, Fairhope’s Code Enforcement Officer.

What makes plastic so unsafe and troubling as a pollutant is its longevity in the environment. It’s in the land, air, water and now, it’s been shown to be in our bloodstreams in the form of microplastics (any form of plastic less than five millimeters in length). Studies show that a plastic grocery bag may remain in the environment for up to 500 years.

Plastic’s long-term effects on human health are still being discovered, according to the Plastic

Health Coalition, a research and advocacy alliance. It is known that microplastics disrupt endocrine function in humans, similar to other toxic chemicals. And animals are also at risk. It’s been forecasted that by midcentury there will be more plastic by weight in our oceans than fish. In addition, recent reports reveal the skies are now raining microplastics at a level much greater than previously thought.

Locally, stormwater in the Cowpen Creek watershed runs south towards Morphy Avenue, carrying litter with it. Litter not removed eventually ends up in storm drains which then empty into retention ponds such as the Winn Dixie pond, as well as creeks. All waterways in the Cowpen Creek watershed eventually flow to Mobile Bay, according to Burmeister.

Fairhope city officials are hoping to get ahead of the problem as environmental concerns mount. Richard Johnson, director of the Fairhope Public Works Department, oversees daily litter removal in addition to trash, recycling, street repair, mosquito control, maintaining the landfill, park and grounds maintenance. But Mayor Sherry Sullivan says the Public Works Department alone cannot fix the problem, they need help from residents. She feels that educating people will make a difference in the long run. “I think keeping a tidy community is reflective of who you are as a community. It makes it even more inviting when visitors come in rather than having a bunch of trash lying around,” says Sullivan, adding that there is a litter education program each April for students in the Fairhope schools that includes a t-shirt design contest. The t-shirts are printed for all the students to wear on Earth Day. At Mobile Area Earth Day 2023 (held in April at South Beach Park), the City of Fairhope will be giving away reusable shopping bags to help reduce dependency on plastic bags. The design and logo on the bag are the products of the school education program.

Burmeister would also like to see an incentive program for Fairhope businesses to be rewarded by reducing or eliminating altogether the use of plastic and plastic bags, prioritizing the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, in that order.

To get involved or get more information on Fairhope’s Litter Abatement program, the Osprey Initiative or Fairhope’s partnership with the Clean Water Future program, call the City Clerk’s office at 251-990-0208.