First, the debris had to be collected and removed from our sand as an entire area of the Gulf of Mexico was deposited on our beaches. That process began with a beach raking system, using small tines and tills to reach down about two inches below the sand, sifting through it. Then, the sand traveled by conveyor belt as it lifted the unwanted material for storage and deposited elsewhere, leaving only “clean” sand behind. The tractor crews made several passes through the sand ensuring that powdery soft sand was softer and cleaner than ever.  

Any sand with rock, shell and debris was filtered through screens, sifting out the larger pieces of debris until nothing was left but fine, white sand that was once again ready to return to the beach.  

Some sand did not meet the standards to be processed and placed back onto our coastline. Any sand that may have washed into commercial properties, parking lots or residential spaces was deemed unsafe as it could be contaminated with broken glass, nails, plastics or any other foreign objects. Recycling the sand is another example of putting our ‘Love It Like A Local’ principles into action where will be used rebuild upper Manatee Road.