Pineda Waterway Warriors prevent waste from polluting the IRL

BY LINDA JUMP

Who says one person can’t make a difference?

Six years ago, Sharon Noll began picking up trash on the Pineda Causeway. Now dozens join her bimonthly effort to keep garbage out of the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean.

“My mother came to live with me and she commented about all the trash on the causeway. So out of love for her and as a Christian to be a caretaker, I picked up trash by myself from 2016 until 2020. I bought the supplies and took what I collected to the landfill in my husband’s truck.”

Sandra Leone of Satellite Beach moved to Brevard County in 2020 and kept seeing Noll alone on State Route 404 picking up trash. “One day I stopped and gave her my telephone number and said I’d join her. It just felt right.”

The Florida Department of Transportation tracked down Noll and invited her to officially adopt the causeway for cleanup. Last August, four women formed the non profit agency Pineda Waterway Warriors that meets at 8 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays at the South Tropical Trail underpass. Last year alone, 12 tons of trash was collected on the eight-mile stretch.

“It’s important to remove garbage before it falls into the Lagoon and sinks to become microparticles and is toxic,” Leone said.

The agency works with several municipal and environmental groups to educate the public about damage to the ecosystem such as water quality, seagrass destruction, fish kills and habitat loss that spreads to the ocean. “We are making a difference. There are plenty of beach cleanups, but most of the trash is in the Lagoon and then gets to the ocean,” said volunteer Sherill Spaccio of Indian Harbor Beach.

More than 700 pounds of garbage is collected monthly. Volunteers receive sunscreen, bug spray, a yellow vest, bucket, trash bags, gloves and a metal pickup tool. They must wear closed-toed shoes, never cross the causeway and agree not to talk about controversial subjects, Noll said. Fundraisers and sponsors are needed.

Pallets and brush are illegally burned, releasing toxins, in three

PINEDA WATERWAY

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