Palm Beach's Turtle Tuesday Hits 20 Years of Beach Cleanups

For 20 years, a simple idea born from an ice chest and a few coworkers has quietly transformed into one of Palm Beach's most powerful environmental traditions.

Gregg Beletsky launched Turtle Tuesday in 2006 as a team-building exercise with his Ralph Lauren colleagues. Two decades later, the monthly beach cleanup unites residents, businesses, and ocean lovers every nesting season to protect sea turtles and restore the habitats they desperately need.

The numbers tell a remarkable story. Since that first cleanup, volunteers have removed more than 14,000 pounds of trash from Palm Beach beaches, everything from plastic bottles to the occasional toilet seat (yes, really).

Every item collected gets cataloged with help from Loggerhead Marinelife Center before the town picks it up. This isn't just symbolic action. It's real protection during the months when sea turtles are most vulnerable.

But Beletsky knows the work isn't getting easier. "The challenge is even greater than it ever has been," he says, pointing to the relentless wave of plastics washing onto shores. That's exactly why Turtle Tuesday runs from June through October, timed perfectly with sea turtle nesting season when clean beaches matter most.

The Ripple Effect

What makes Turtle Tuesday special isn't just the trash collected or the turtles protected. It's how the movement has grown while staying true to its welcoming roots.

"Open invite — come as long as you want to stay, we provide all the supplies, just come out and have fun," Beletsky explains. No experience needed, no commitment required. Students earn community service hours while making measurable environmental impact.

The partnership between volunteers, the Town of Palm Beach, and Loggerhead Marinelife Center shows what's possible when community effort meets scientific purpose. Each cleanup creates cleaner nesting sites, better data on ocean pollution, and a growing network of people who care enough to show up month after month.

Meet at the north end of Palm Beach Island on the second Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m., and you'll find gloves, bags, and a group of neighbors who turned a team outing into 20 years of meaningful change.