One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. For Cathy Ives of Mission Beach, trash ‘is’ treasure.

Trash is an incredible bonanza if you just know what to do with it, claims Ives, who recently received a County proclamation from Third District Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer for her renowned trash collecting and recycling daily along a short stretch of Mission Beach.

“When I started out doing all this collecting, it was more of a beach rescue operation,” said Ives of her environmentalism. “It was more important for me to make sure everything (recovered) on the beach – shoes, towels, beach toys, reusable plastic bottles, etc. – was reused as much as possible, and didn’t go into our landfills. That was very important to me.”

Ives co-founded the nonprofit Don’t Trash Mission Beach, along with fellow residents Tim and Tony San Felice, to bring awareness and education about the hazards of beach trash. The organization also fosters a sense of pride in the community and advocates for personal responsibility and education through beach cleanup events and art installations.

“We are so proud of Mission Beach local, Cathy Ives, for her never-ending commitment to cleaning our beaches on a daily basis and cleaning up the trash left behind by others,” said Mission Beach Town Council in an Instagram post. “And now Cathy has been properly honored for her dedication to the best ideals of public service. On Nov. 2, Cathy was presented with a proclamation where it was declared that that day, forever, will be a day of recognition for Cathy Ives throughout San Diego.”

Continued the MBTC post: “Cathy has been a Mission Beach resident for the past 35 years and has been diligently cleaning Mission Beach every single morning since 2010. Alongside her partners in the nonprofit, Don’t Trash Mission Beach, Cathy runs a minimum of four beach cleanups each year with 80 to 140 volunteers participating at each one.”

Referring to herself as an “eco-terrorist,” Ives said she has always been an environmentalist and above all else, a recyclist. She started out trash collecting after beginning to write an environmental blog in 2008. That, she acknowledged, is when she “really” started getting interested in litter, especially how it can be purposefully reused.

Ives’ efforts have been a labor of love, not only toward other people but also toward the environment and the ocean. “To date, I have donated over (recovered) 6,000 textile-type items to the homeless,” she said pointing out there are numerous reasons why it is wrong to continue to waste items that can be easily repurposed. “Beach trash kills animals,” she said. “It also contributes to climate change. And it makes things look bad. Trash brings trash.”

The ecological warrior noted tracking trash picked up on just one small stretch of beach is crucially important because “the amount of trash we pick up daily is really a minor drop in the bucket in terms of the total amount of beach trash that is out there.”

For example, Ives noted she has recovered 5,000 water toys stranded on the beach every single year that could be donated to needy children. “There is no reason to leave beach toys. None,” she said. “So, I set up a program so that those toys are not left on the beach.”

Ives added she’s still looking “for somebody to make toy boxes for us.”

The ecologist is also critical of disposable boogie boards sold locally, which break easily. “We need to get those single-use awful disposable boogie boards banned,” she argued adding “it would also be helpful if we could get stricter enforcement of broken bottles and (illegal) fires on the beach.”

And don’t get her started about the amount of food waste she encounters.

“I’ve picked up steaks, whole chickens, cakes, and cookies thrown in the trash,” she said adding “the amount of mustard and ketchup condiments alone that we pick up is staggering. Cleaning up from the jetty to Belmont Park, I estimate I picked up over $500 worth of food waste leftover every single month.”

Ives intends to continue to collect and reuse trash on the beach for the greater good. “It’s exercise, and content for my blog,” she explains while adding, “I never thought it would grow into this.”

DON’T TRASH MISSION BEACH

Earth Day (April 22) is never ending for the Don’t Trash Mission Beach volunteers, an organization co-created by Cathy Ives, who combs South Mission Beach on a daily basis to pick up trash left on the shoreline, sand, boardwalks, sidewalks, streets, and parks. The nonprofit group was also formed with the help of Mission Beach residents Tim and Tony San Felice.

The average daily amount of 500 pounds of trash picked up in just a small stretch of one beach is either discarded appropriately or recycled, upcycled, or cleaned and donated to charity. The sheer amount of recyclable, salvageable items rescued from the beach in South Mission Beach is appalling.

The estimated retail value of recovered beach items in 2020 alone exceeded $40,000. That typically features wasted food, (illegal) glass bottles, leftover beer, wine, and liquor containers, beach toys, and personal items including shoes and towels. Ives said this daily “haul” brings to light our disposable society’s mindset. For a complete look at the volume of items collected, visit donttrashmissionbeach.com.

Ives painstakingly logs every single item she collects. On her own, she picked up almost 120,000 pounds in 2020 comprised of food wrappers, bottle caps, bottles, glass, dog feces, balloons, wood, and charcoal from illegal fires. In addition to regular beach cleanups, Don’t Trash Mission Beach promotes a Court Adoption Program where members of the community can sign up as stewards of their streets.