Over 70,000 Pounds of Trash Collected at Record-Breaking Orange County Coastal Cleanup Day
- Wheel chair, flute and 100 single socks among collected debris
- More than 7,000 volunteers joined 56 cleanup sites county-wide
ORANGE COUNTY, September 19, 2017 – On Saturday, more than 7,000 volunteers hit Orange County parks, beaches, wetlands and creeks to join the fight against ocean pollution during Coastal Cleanup Day. Orange County Coastkeeper and Trails4All coordinated 56 cleanup sites in Orange County where volunteers removed 70,485 pounds of debris – more than 14,000 pounds more than last year’s cleanup – and volunteers recorded obscure items including a wheel chair, wigs, a flute, tennis balls, platform heels, car parts and more.
“Seeing these bizarre but relatively common household items scattered across the sand puts Orange County’s pollution problem into perspective,” said Orange County Coastkeeper Cleanup Coordinator, Lauren Smith. “Coastal Cleanup Day educates people about how their actions in their neighborhoods impact the local environment, no matter how far away they are from the beach, and how they can make a positive difference.”
After the record-breaking cleanup, volunteers celebrated with a Trash Free OC Jamboree at Huntington State Beach, Doheny State Beach and the Back Bay Science Center in Newport Bay. Partygoers learned how to become environmental stewards year-round through a series of crafts and educational activities and enjoyed well-deserved snacks at food trucks.
“While it’s inspiring that this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day removed more trash than ever before, it would be even better to not have trash to clean up in the first place and to keep this dedication up throughout the year,” said Smith. “By informing people about the issue, we can work together to reduce coastal pollution.”
This year’s Orange County Coastal Cleanup Day corporate sponsors included: Wise Fool, PADI, King’s Seafood, Nobel Biocare, Earth Friendly Products, California Coastal Commission and the City of Dana Point. In-kind sponsors include: KIND Snacks, Urban Springs, Coastal Playgroup, REI, Newport Whales, Wavehuggers, and the Municipal Water District of Orange County.
For more information, please visit http://www.coastkeeper.org/ccd.
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ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER: Founded in 1999, the mission of Coastkeeper is to protect and promote sustainable water resources that are swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. Coastkeeper is a nonprofit clean water organization that serves as a proactive steward of our fresh- and saltwater ecosystems. We work collaboratively with diverse groups in the public and private sectors to achieve healthy, accessible, and sustainable water resources for the region. We implement innovative, effective programs in education, advocacy, restoration, research, enforcement, and conservation. For more information, visit www.coastkeeper.org or call 714-850-1965.
