Elizabeth Joshi was recognized in May by The Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach and The Ponte Vedra Recorder during the 32nd Annual Local Heroes Awards. She launched the Ponte Vedra Litter Crew to clean up litter along State Road A1A. She can be found on Instagram and is planning a Facebook page for the crew. Those interested in taking part in a clean-up can message her or respond to her posts on NextDoor. The next clean-up will be held at the end of this month.
Tell me about the Ponte Vedra Litter Crew.
The Ponte Vedra Litter Crew meets monthly near the Ponte Vedra Beach/Jax Beach border (also, the county line for St. John’s County and Duval County) to ensure that the first impression into our community and county is of an area that is clean and maintained. When we started back in March of 2024, this area was full of heavy and small trash; we have cleaned up everything from the removal of large shopping carts from ditches to nitrous oxide canisters from the roadside — to hundreds of Styrofoam cups and wrappers in between.
Is there any way to quantify the amount of litter the group has picked up?
I would estimate that we have cleaned, as a group, over 350 pounds of trash from A1A roadsides and parking lots, bushes, ditches, etc. in this area. As the area gets progressively cleaner (by removing historical litter that has piled up for years), we spread our efforts further south and are able to pick up newer litter faster.
Along with these efforts, group members often clean up on their own. For example, some members work independently to clean up along Solana. One member and I work frequently on A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Whenever I am in town, I try every morning to pick up along Palm Valley Road and A1A between Walgreens and the Chase bank. This is a very long distance, but I am committed to keeping it clean. The other member helps me with these efforts and also attends frequently to Mickler Road. On the whole, I would say we have cleaned up well over 2,000 bags of trash through these independent efforts, in addition to what we as a group have collected.
It is an ongoing and often frustrating undertaking to see how much litter and dumping there actually is. I am hoping to orchestrate a plan for cleaning and maintaining the drainage areas on Roscoe, through the help of local residents, as this road has a lot of trash clogging up drainage ditches and also flowing into marsh areas with heavy rains.
What led to you starting this group?
The seed was planted for my efforts after seeing a family leave water bottles behind on the beach. I was upset at the cavalier attitude of cleaning up as being “someone else’s problem.” I then started walking along Palm Valley Road and was upset at how much trash I saw.
After hearing about Bob Davenport’s efforts in cleaning up around the community, I was inspired. One Sunday morning I decided to bring a kitchen trash bag and filled it in under a quarter of a mile. I was angered that someone did not do something. Then I realized that I had to be that “someone.” I had picked up odds and ends where I used to live in Indiana, while walking my dog, but it didn’t become second nature until I moved here.
After working solo for a few years on my own, I decided that it would be a good idea to address areas that I was not able to cover on my own, with a team. I had never formed any type of group before, but I hoped that people in the community would be inspired to help me in caring for our area.
How many members are there?
We have over 70 members on our email list currently. The number of people who show up to clean-ups varies depending on the time of year (some members live here only seasonally) and schedules. Our turnout could be better. Our group has about 10 loyal members who keep coming back and since we are still in our infancy, I know we can grow that.
At the same time, I don’t want people to feel burdened or shamed when life gets in the way. I just want them to feel welcome and included in what can be surprisingly fun and a great way to bond with others who care.
I find that once people start coming, they see the value and it becomes kind of addictive. It is an immediate sense of bettering one’s community and making a difference for others and for wildlife. Removing litter is a way of pushing back against those intent on destroying what we love about our community.
How does it make you feel to see these volunteers working together to make our community more beautiful?
I am proud and honored that the volunteers in our group devote their valuable time to this, and I truly hope that others take note and realize that it is not just for “someone else” to address.
A couple who is very loyal to our cause came to our last clean-up on their anniversary. This was very humbling to me; we have some wonderful people in our community who care enough to put things aside to show up for what they view as a valuable cause.
Do you have any advice for others who would like to do something like this in their own communities?
My advice to people in our own community and others is to just start. Don’t wait. If you are too busy to join a group, you can easily do this on your own. The main thing I had to overcome was feeling a bit weird and self-conscious. I have always been kind of introverted and believe it or not, cleaning up litter has greatly helped me come out of my shell (finally!) and stop worrying about what other people think.
Most people are supportive and appreciative. Some give me weird looks and cannot understand why anyone would do what I do for free and voluntarily. It can be very tiring and time consuming. I have grown to see what a difference one person can make and now wear that as a badge of honor rather than feeling like it is weird. Embrace the change you can make!
Getting started is as simple as ordering a grabber off of Amazon or buying one at a home improvement store (or ask a clean-up organization if they have extras) and just bring it on a walk. You can also just use a kitchen tong or a gardening glove and bring a bag with you on a walk, run or bike ride. Just grabbing a few things matters, even if you are in a parking lot heading into an establishment.
Every time I clean up along Palm Valley Road or along A1A, I pass a lot of people walking, running and biking. It should not fall on one person or a small group to do it all. Have pride in your community and take a stand. Also, get your kids involved in taking care of where they live! This is the only way we can make a true change for the future. They must get involved and see that they can make a difference.
How long have you lived in the Ponte Vedra area?
I have lived here for three years, although I have been coming here for more than 30 years (as my parents bought their home here in 1992). The area has changed dramatically in that time and the growing litter issue has come with that change. That is one negative that we don’t have to just tolerate and live with, if we choose not to.
What do you like best about living here?
I love the weather and being close to the beach. I also love the nature, particularly all of the beautiful birds I see. I am obviously dismayed at how some who are very lucky to live in our area/county treat what they have and attempt to ruin it with their disregard, but I feel empowered to combat that by my efforts.
I hope that when people see me and others cleaning up litter, they won’t get complacent and think that someone else has got it handled. I would love to spend less time cleaning up. If everyone cleaned up around their neighborhoods or in front of their homes in the drainage areas, it would be so much easier.
This sense of community responsibility is very important to me. We share Ponte Vedra Beach, and it is all of ours to preserve and show pride in, so my wish is that we all treat it with the love and respect that it deserves.
