One of the admins of the Facebook group, supply chain management senior Matt Carroll, noticed how much trash was on the beaches and how disrespectful the trash was for the locals. He decided it would be a good idea for MSU students to help clean up the beach.

“It was just a really good opportunity to use my status in that group to do something good,” Carroll said.

Carroll’s friend, Takudzwa Kubvoruno, is also an admin for the Facebook group and wanted to make sure MSU upheld a great reputation while at the popular destination spot.

“I know (trash) is the reason people can’t really go to (Panama City Beach) anymore, because it got really trashed,” Kubvoruno said. “That’s something going into it that we were really aware of. ... For everyone to be able to come back, that was something that somebody was going to have to take an active stance on.”

The trash could often be a safety hazard with sharp, open cans and broken glass bottles lying on the beach.

“I actually cut my toe on a beer can,” marketing sophomore Claire Fossum said. “It’s not infected, but it’s pretty gross still. ... One of my friends I was staying with got cut, my brother got cut.”

Even Kubvoruno had a painful encounter with a sharp can. He said it’s not fun to constantly have to be worried about stepping on something dangerous and having the whole vacation ruined.

“Every other step I have to be looking down,” he said.

Extra city workers were on hand during spring break, but the amount of trash accumulated during spring break can be alarming and the city often has to rely on the help of visitors.

“There’s a certain level of respect that you should have,” Kubvoruno said. “I think that (the locals) noticed our efforts and appreciated it.”

It didn’t take a lot of time for students to help clean up, as the area of the beach designated specifically for students was not an extremely large area of the beach.

“We cleaned it up so quickly that it really wasn’t even a big deal, it went by really fast,” Carroll said.