All ‘PEP’d up’ to keep Patchogue clean

Armed with grabbers and garbage bags, community members recently worked to pick up trash at Father Tortora Park as part of the Protecting the Environment in Patchogue (PEP) committee. This event was the first of a series of scheduled PEP cleanups that will take place in September and October.

This is the first time a PEP cleanup was held at Father Tortora Park, according to Joseph Keyes, a Patchogue Village trustee and PEP organizer.

“These neighborhoods were chosen because of the likelihood that debris may end up in the water,” he said.

The park sits adjacent to one of Patchogue Lake’s publicly accessible shore areas, with much of the surrounding neighborhood built along the lake. Keyes said a recent study on microplastics was a major factor that led the PEP committee to focus its cleaning efforts on areas near the water. Keyes explained that plastic bottles are often littered—and in areas near a body of water, these water bottles can pose an even more dangerous environmental risk.

“Between the sun and the water itself, the bottle weakens and tends to break apart and eventually breaks down into little microplastics—and they can’t be filtered out through the sewer system. Our goal is to keep all of that stuff from getting into the water,” he said.

Volunteers found cigarette butts, bottles, cans and other garbage while walking in and around the park. Lacey Keefer, who attended the cleanup with her husband and two daughters, said the two culprits the family found most were plastic bottles and cigarette butts. Keefer noted that she and her family volunteer, in part, out of a desire to help birds and marine life in their natural habitat.

“It’s important because all of the debris goes directly into the river and you don’t want animals living in all of that garbage. It’s important to keep our water clean,” she said.

Keefer has been taking her kids to PEP cleanups since her oldest daughter was born and said that the family makes a game of who can pick up the most trash. In addition, she said her children have learned valuable lessons from their time volunteering.

“I think they learn responsibility and they also learn how to pick up after themselves,” she added.

Another family was present at the cleanup: Emily and Philip Gatti, a mother and son duo who have been cleaning around the community since Philip Gatti, now a teen, was 7.

“We have a strong belief in community, in helping one another and in keeping our environment clean,” said Emily Gatti. “There’s no ‘Planet B.’ ”

In addition to eight volunteers on land, two volunteers removed debris from the lake while on kayaks. Andrea Stolz and her husband John paddled up and down the lake, collecting a garbage bag full of debris. Stolz found eight beer cans, a few water bottles, a bait bucket and some fishing line—but it wasn’t as much debris as the couple were expecting.

“It seemed like people were at least good about not throwing anything into the water,” she said.

Keyes said the park is less debris-ridden than other sections of Patchogue, due to the neighborhood keeping after their own litter and the Department of Public Works keeping up with the park.

“Our DPW does a good job of keeping things clean,” he added.

Keyes hopes residents see the volunteers outside picking up trash, and will be more mindful of their litter.

“I would love for my own kids to be involved to teach my kids about environmental values and protecting the planet,” said Erin Tartaglia, who grew up in Patchogue and came back to raise her children, 6 years old and 3 years old.

PEP has two more scheduled cleanups. The Patchogue River cleanup is slated for Saturday, Sept. 25; and the Spooky Halloween cleanup is slated for Saturday, Oct. 16.

The Patchogue River cleanup is especially popular, bringing lots of resident volunteers, according to Kaetlyn Jackson, co-chair of the PEP committee. The cleanup is held around the Patchogue River, including in the parking lots of local businesses where debris can accumulate.

“We had about 150 in 2019. Every year it goes up by about 20 people,” Jackson said of volunteers at the popular event.

Jackson estimates that the Patchogue River cleanup is popular because of the relationships the PEP committee created in order to make the day possible, including partnerships with area business leaders and St. Joseph’s College—in the past, the college gave its biology students credit for attending the cleanup. 

“We’re trying to protect Patchogue Village and make it a greener place,” said Jackson.

For more information or to volunteer for a future PEP cleanup, contact Keyes at JKeyes@patchoguevillage.org.