Volunteers Collect 89 Pounds Of Trash At Imperial Beach After July 4

IMPERIAL BEACH, CA — Hundreds of volunteers helped clean up the mess left by Fourth of July beachgoers Wednesday in Imperial Beach and across San Diego County.

A total of 347 volunteers collected thousands of pounds of trash at seven beaches during Surfrider Foundation San Diego's annual post-Independence Day "Morning After" beach cleanup series. In only three hours, volunteers gathered 2,832 pounds of trash, mostly consisting of single-use plastics, according to the organization.

"Many of our volunteers remarked that the beaches seemed cleaner than in previous years, which is a great sign that we are headed in the right direction together," said Alex Ferron, chapter manager of Surfrider Foundation San Diego.

"Despite that, we can’t lose sight of the fact that even one piece of trash on the beach is too many," Ferron added. "More than anything, we hope our beach cleanups inspire San Diegans to continue down the path of coastal stewardship and environmental activism."

The cleanup sites were chosen "because of the high concentration of beachgoers and notorious reputations for post-4th of July trash," according to Surfrider.

Surfrider volunteers hosted cleanups at Ocean Beach Pier, where they collected 129 pounds of trash, and Oceanside Pier, where they collected 92 pounds of trash.

Partner organizations hosted the other cleanups. Paddle For Peace collected 96 pounds of trash at Crystal Pier; I Love A Clean San Diego collected 381 pounds at Fiesta Island; Clean Border Water Now collected 89 pounds at Imperial Beach; San Diego River Park Foundation collected 1,925 pounds at Ocean Beach Dog Beach; San Diego Coast Keeper collected 47 pounds at Mission Beach Park; and Un Mar De Colores collected 73 pounds at Moonlight Beach.