Are you missing your guitar? How about a big mattress and a mini fridge? Well, someone found these items, along with an autographed baseball, during the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on September 23. With just half of the expected reports tallied so far, organizers estimate that 25,570 volunteers picked up at least 126,605 pounds of trash across the state, including some puzzling discoveries.
With recycling factored in, a total of 67 tons of trash have been counted. California Coastal Cleanup Day, now in its 38th year, is the largest volunteer event in the state. Cleanups took place from the Oregon border to the Mexico border and even inland at Lake Tahoe.
Communities in the South Bay, Los Angeles, Long Beach, the Inland Empire, and Orange County came together to collect trash from beaches, parks, rivers, and waterways to prevent pollution from reaching the ocean.
In Los Angeles County, Heal the Bay counted 5,359 volunteers who collected at least 11,010 pounds of trash from 76 miles of beaches, rivers, trails, and even underwater. Orange County Coastkeeper coordinated cleanups at 30 sites and estimated that 4,150 volunteers removed over 17,380 pounds of trash.
“Orange County’s beaches are for everyone to visit, enjoy, and protect,” said Irene Cordero, cleanups coordinator for Coastkeeper. “California Coastal Cleanup Day gives people who love our ocean a chance to protect it, no matter where they live.”
At the largest cleanup at Huntington State Beach, more than 300 volunteers removed 283 pounds of trash. These efforts are especially crucial as California prepares for an anticipated wet El Nino winter. Rains can wash trash and debris to the beach, where it can harm marine life and ecosystems.
California’s event also contributes to the International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer event dedicated to the marine environment, organized by the Ocean Conservancy.
Alongside the trash collected, over 7,000 pounds of recyclable materials were also collected. This cleanup initiative not only helps in preserving the environment but also generates valuable data to track pollution sources and trends.
Based on past cleanup data, it is estimated that 75% of the collected trash is composed of plastic, a material that never fully biodegrades and has adverse effects on the environment. “Plastic debris can kill wildlife, leach toxic chemicals into the environment, and even enter the food chain,” warn Coastal Commission officials.
One of the most peculiar finds during the cleanup was a 5.25-inch floppy disk discovered by a volunteer in Yolo County. None of the young participants could identify the outdated storage medium.
“Californians have shown their love and dedication to our coast during Coastal Cleanup Day,” said Kate Huckelbridge, Executive Director of the Coastal Commission. “We are incredibly proud to provide an outlet for all Californians to express their commitment to the protection and preservation of our coast.”
For the complete results of the cleanup, visit coastal.ca.gov.
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