Meet Caymus Maxson, 16, who led 50 beach cleanups and removed 6 tons of debris
Sixteen-year-old Caymus Maxson founded the nonprofit 'Trash Turtles' to combat marine debris after noticing pollution on Florida beaches. Her organization has since removed six tons of trash and earned her the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
Why it matters
This story highlights the impact of youth-led environmental activism and provides a model for community-based ecological conservation efforts.
At 10, Caymus 'CO' Maxson noticed something wrong on a beach in Madeira Beach, Florida. In February 2020, she saw beach trash being raked towards the water’s edge. She realised that the incoming tide could carry the waste into the sea and decided to act.Maxson soon started Trash Turtles, a youth-focused environmental nonprofit with the mission to 'Save the planet one piece of trash at a time'. Over the next six years, the organisation grew from a small effort on one beach into a network involved in beach cleanups, youth leadership and environmental campaigns.According to Surfrider Foundation, Trash Turtles has now hosted more than 50 beach cleanups and removed more than six tons of trash and marine debris. It has also cleaned more than 300 miles of beaches and collected more than 75,000 cigarette butts, which were recycled through TerraCycle.
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