Global consulting firm and area nonprofit hold cleanup, find pre-WWII waste
CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Carolina Beach State Park got some tender-loving-care on Friday, as employee volunteers from global consulting firm Deloitte teamed up with The Plastic Ocean Project nonprofit for a full day private cleanup.
The cleanup was very successful, with over 800 pounds of trash being collected in just the first 3 hours.
The event turned into quite the archaeological dig, however, as it was discovered that the water lily pond in the park used to be a dumping area for waste and glass that pre-dates WWII.
A member of Deloitte said that after finding the site, they discovered that the dumping area closed in the 1930’s.
Because of this timing, there wasn’t any plastic at that specific site, but some very interesting glass findings.
Among the items found, were prohibition-era liquor bottles, glass Listerine containers, classic Coca Cola bottles, a glass oil container, and a glass jar of Jergen’s lotion.
Some of the volunteers said that some of this trash is treasure to them, and they plan to keep some of the unique finds.
Hogan Hagy, a Senior Manager with Deloitte, said he was having fun while helping the environment.
“It’s been a good mixture of doing a good deed and like American Pickers, right? So, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Alison Voss, a manager with Deloitte, said the cleanup was a great opportunity to meet people within the global consulting firm.
“In addition to interesting things that we are finding on the site, I always find it interesting to meet a lot of new people who are in our very large firm who I would not otherwise not get to know. We are self-selecting into these sites, so everyone that’s here today, there’s something unique to them that this opportunity spoke to them in some way. So, it’s really good connections to make, in addition to putting some good out into this world.”
Senior Consultant for Deloitte, Heather White, said she was very happy to be able to be a part of the cleanup.
“It’s been really amazing, I’m just really glad to be here, and to be able to help out. I came, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like. I have a little assisted walker here, so I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to go out into the trees, but I have been able to! And everyone here has been really, really helpful.”
The effort is part of Deloitte’s “Global Impact Day” where member firms around the world host a variety of activities in celebration of the corporate giant’s commitment to communities.
Employees get a day off of work to participate in volunteer work.
Not only was the cleanup beneficial to the environment by clearing litter, but with every 25 pounds of trash that the volunteers collected, one tree is planted as part of the Plastic Ocean Project’s Trees4Trash program.
Last year, Plastic Ocean Project volunteers collected 6 tons of trash, earning over 470 trees.
