9-year-old Tybee writes letter calling for clean beaches

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) – Tybee Island beaches are known for their beauty, safety and cleanliness.

One of Tybee’s youngest residents wants to keep it that way after he says he’s noticed a worrying littering trend and he’s doing something about it in the form of an opinion editorial.

The author of the article is 9-year-old Levi Kagan, who lives on Tybee during the summer months. He goes to the beach every day during his stay.

“I see a lot of bottle caps, glass bottles, candy wrappers, plastic and a whole bunch of things like that,” Levi said.

He says the littering has increased since he returned to his Utah beach house this summer. So he takes matters into his own hands by writing an opinion piece telling people to stop littering his house, hoping it will reach the right people: those who litter.

“There was a lot of trash on the beach,” Levi said, “and I thought it wasn’t the best thing ever, so I decided to write something about it and try to tell people people that it was not the right thing to do.

He uses the Center Pl. entrance to the beach and believes the lack of trash cans in the area contributes to the problem.

“I would like to see trash cans where you enter and exit the trails,” Levi said.

Timothy Arnold of the Tybee Clean Beach volunteer group tells News 3 they clean the beaches every two weeks and invites everyone to participate.

Arnold says plastic, styrofoam, straws and bottles are the most common items they see littered around, and they can harm wildlife like turtles and shorebirds.

Levi says he takes it upon himself to help clean up and encourages other beachgoers to do the same.

“It affects our lives because we have this beautiful beach all to ourselves,” Levi said, “and then just seeing trash on it, it’s really sad and annoying to constantly pick up other people’s trash.”

Arnold says Tybee Clean Beach is hosting a beach clean on Sunday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tybee Island Pier. Levi says he and his family will be there.