Litter Moves East Hampton Realtor To Clean-Up Montauk Point

After seeing a of garbage at Montauk Point State Park, James Young was spurred to action.

Along with agents from his company Rosehip Partners, Young will lead a trash pick-up at the point on Saturday. The group -- and anyone else who wants to help -- will gather at the lower parking lot by the bathrooms at 10 a.m. to clean-up the litter, plastic garbage, soda and beer cans stuck between the rocks and thrown into the bushes.

"My wife says I'm really into garbage," Young joked.

Turning more serious, he explained how he hates to see trash strewn as litter throughout East Hampton Town, particularly at beaches after summer weekends when garbage cans are overflowing.

"It's really shocking," said Young, who is a founder and managing broker at Rosehip, describing the 30 foot perimeter of litter around each bin. "That's a real shame," he said.

After seeing the photographs of the trash at the Point, he took a walk there this fall, "and I confirmed exactly what the article had captured." He said he saw bottles, cardboard, wrappers and other items on the trails to the beach and along the beach.

"I thought, 'Hey, maybe we can make a difference,'" he said.

Young contacted the local chapter of the Sierra Club, one of the country's largest grassroots environmental organizations, of which his father had been a member of the club since the 1970s. The Long Island chapter will be sending some volunteers on Saturday.

All the necessary equipment will be provided by the parks department, which he said had been very cooperative in his effort. He has a permit for as many 30 people to help in the clean-up.

"If we could get 10, 15, 20 bags off the beach, I'd be happy," Young said. "It will all depend on how many people show up."

Afterwards, Rosehip will host everybody for lunch in Montauk. Those interested in helping can contact Young at 631-276-9381 or contact them through a Facebook page especially created for the event.