More than 300 volunteers gathered at four popular beaches this morning to assist with the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter’s annual post-Fourth of July Morning After Mess beach series. By midday, Surfrider volunteers had recovered 1,131 pounds of trash that otherwise would have been washed into the sea where it would add to the pollution problem in the world’s oceans.
Surfrider volunteers held four cleanups in collaboration with I Love a Clean San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper from 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 5 at the Ocean Beach Pier, Belmont Park in Mission Beach, Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach and the Oceanside Pier. These cleanup sites were chosen because of the high concentration of beachgoers and reputations for post-Fourth of July trash.
“We are incredibly grateful for all of the volunteers who came out today to help clean the beaches after the busy holiday,” said Mandy Sackett, San Diego County Chapter manager. “It is crucial to prevent all the litter left on the beach on July 4th from making its way into our ocean. Once in the ocean, the debris is devastating to marine life and negatively impacts ocean users. Fortunately, we saw a significant decrease in the amount of trash collected this year when compared to the last few years.”
Few holidays generate more trash on San Diego County beaches than the Fourth of July. Sadly, much of this litter is made up of plastic, which exacerbates an already critical pollution problem devastating marine life in the world’s oceans. This year’s Morning After Mess recovered 175 plastic bags, 1,526 pieces of Styrofoam and 6,547 cigarette butts.
Throughout the year, the Surfrider Foundation works hard to prevent pollution from becoming part of the ‘Morning After Mess.’ Through successful programs like Rise Above Plastics and Hold Onto Your Butt, the organization uses education, outreach, and advocacy to reduce the amount of single-use plastics and cigarette butts along our coast. For more information on Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter, visit www.surfridersd.org or contact Sackett at [email protected] or 440-749-6845. 2016 Morning After Mess totals
During the 2016 Morning After Mess cleanup series, 306 volunteers removed 1,131 pounds of trash from beaches and surrounding areas. The trash collected included 6,547 cigarette butts, 175 plastic bags and 1,526 pieces of styrofoam.  Ocean Beach Pier
72 volunteers 2,231 cigarette butts
45 plastic bags
1,112 styrofoam pieces
303 pounds trash
Most unusual item(s): marshmallows, underwear, fireworks, curtains, bike fender Belmont Park
138 volunteers
3,062 cigarette butts
53 plastic bags
32 styrofoam pieces
403.5 pounds of trash
102 pounds of recycling
Most unusual items: cooler, backpack in a tree, sandwich, scissors, tampon Crystal Pier
48 volunteers
923 cigarette butts
37 plastic bags
185 styrofoam pieces
110 pounds of trash
Most unusual items: fireworks, spaghetti, bra Oceanside Pier
48 volunteers
331 cigarette butts
40 plastic bags
198 styrofoam pieces
213 pounds of trash
Most unusual items: pacifier, baby shoe, wallet, kite, glow stick, toy car.