Walton County's Leave No Trace ordinance makes sure that anything left on the beach is gone by the morning.
The amount of leftover trash from visitors can really accumulate, but that trash can be treasure to the right person.
"Pretty much everything has to come off the beach every night so that the turtles aren't impacted," said Jim Bagby, Executive Director of Visit South Walton. "And the secondary reason is everybody likes a beautiful, pristine beach. They don't like to wake up in the morning and see a bunch of trash."
They collect everything from umbrellas to boogie boards, making sure there's no trace of human activity that can be seen on the beaches or hinder the sea turtles.
"Hearing the turtle people talk about how much gets thrown out and how much is in the way of turtles and then seeing the guys that clean up the beach, I mean they would come with their pick up trucks just full of stuff off the beach everyday," said Gail Underwood, Owner of Treasure in Paradise located in Grayton Beach. "There just has to be something we as locals can do about this."
Then last summer, Underwood had an idea of a way to help recycle those common beach items.
Instead of leaving stuff like this on the beach, they can bring it to Treasure in Paradise and sell it for store credit.
Any items that are in good condition are then sold back to the public at a reduced rate to hopefully start the recycling cycle all over again.
"It just seemed like a small way to start," said Underwood. "Maybe we can make an impact."
The public can bring in a variety of things from umbrellas and boogie boards to chairs and even pool noodles. Treasure in Paradise is located off County Highway 283 South in Grayton Beach. They can be reached at 850-231-1991.
