Rolling out the anti-litter campaign

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- Two happy-looking dolphins smiling at a message that

reads “Please don’t litter -- Thanks.” Over and over again.

That’s what Newport Beach’s early morning beachgoers could see in the

future if city officials decide to acquire a sand-stamping machine.

Already in service on several New Jersey beaches, the device consists

of a barrel that gets dragged behind beach-cleaning machines. A rubber

mat stamps images, such as the dolphins, into the sand as the barrel

rotates.

The images are stamped on the sand for a reason.

Cities that have already begun stamping their beaches have seen their

litter volume drop by up to 20%, said officials for Support-a-Beach, the

New Jersey-based company that produces the machines.

The messages in the sand remind people that someone has to pick their

trash and encourage beachgoers to collect it rather than simply leaving

it in the sand, said Patrick Dori, a spokesman for Support-a-Beach.

With more than six miles of ocean beaches and 11 miles of beaches

around the bay, Newport Beach currently spends more than $100,000 on

beach cleaning each year, said Dave Niederhaus, the city’s general

services manager.

Niederhaus, who asked company officials to present their device and

witnessed a demonstration of the machine on a city beach last week, said

that he was “somewhat impressed” by the result.

People “that saw it working were very enthusiastic,” Niederhaus said.

“They said, ‘This is really nice and really a significant reminder [to

pick up trash.]”’

He added that he’d only heard negative comments from one person, who

said that the imprints seemed out of place and destroyed the sand’s

natural beauty.

City Council members at this point said they hadn’t received enough

information to decide whether or not to get a machine. But they added

that it was certainly worth some consideration.

“Sure, we’ve got a lot of sand,” said Councilman John Heffernan. “We

should be taking advantage of it.”

While Niederhaus has asked company officials to come back with a

proposal for leasing or buying a machine that simply prints litter

awareness messages in the sand, the company also offers commercial

sponsorship arrangements.

In those cases, businesses get to add their logo to the stamp. In

return, they not only pay for the cost of the machine, but also pay a fee

to the city.

That’s an option city officials in Seal Beach are considering.

Patricia Campbell, that city’s mayor, said she and her colleagues

would look at entering such an arrangement in the coming weeks.

Why not, she asked, “if it prevents 20% of trash and, on top of that,

you’re getting paid?”

But since other attempts to put advertisements on Newport Beach’s

beaches have faced loud opposition in the past, Niederhaus asked company

officials for more information on the ad-free option.

“The City Council has always said, ‘The city is not for sale,”’ he

said.

But since the sand stamps would disappear once people start walking

over them, Councilman Steven Bromberg said that he’d be interested in

hearing more about the sponsor messages.

“On something like this, I would not see any harm in it if we get

value out of it,” he said, adding that he was fully aware of past

controversies over advertising in the city’s public spaces.