Northwestern Michigan College students work to keep cigarette butts off Traverse City beach

The Associated Press

EAST BAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Some community college students say beachgoers should see fewer cigarette butts in the sand next summer, thanks to their cleanup project.

Six members of a Project Management class at Northwestern Michigan College came up with the idea of installing five decorative trash containers at Keith Charters Traverse City State Park beach. It's on Grand Traverse Bay in Grand Traverse County's East Bay Township.

The beach hasn't had trash cans for several years. Student Erik Thornbury tells the Traverse City Record-Eagle (http://bit.ly/WVMmtu ) that the state Department of Natural Resources agreed to empty the new trash cans.

Student Chris Pataky helped pay for the materials, and Traverse City High School after-class art teacher Phil Wilson recruited students to paint natural scenes for the containers.

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Online:

College: https://www.nmc.edu

Park: http://bit.ly/1216kIv

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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, http://www.record-eagle.com