What is the best way to Leave Only Footprints when you visit Alabama beaches? Pick up your trash. It’s as easy as putting the trash in the cans conveniently located on the beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

Did you know it will take an apple core thrown in the Gulf of Mexico two months to disappear? That’s the same amount of time it takes a cardboard box to disintegrate. Even a paper towel can take two weeks to disintegrate in the Gulf, and there aren’t any crabs looking for the quicker picker-upper.

That plastic foam cup used to build sandcastles? Let it get away from you or forgotten in the rush of packing up and it could stay in the Gulf of Mexico for 50 years before it finally disappears. Plastic foam floats have an even longer life: 80 years. Plastic six-pack rings can take up to 400 years to biodegrade, and 450 years means disposable diapers aren’t really that disposable after all. The glass bottles and jars that get into the Gulf of Mexico can be there forever.

water bottles

Keep your beach getaway safe for humans and sea creatures alike. Take your toys, beach accessories and trash with you and Leave Only Footprints.