Thousands of pounds of trash picked up on Central Coast beaches
The beaches on the Central Coast should be looking even more pristine this week after a sweeping cleanup effort Saturday here and statewide.
The totals are still coming in from various groups that fanned out.
The event kicked off the annual Creek Week, that features not just clean up effort but also tours, lectures and educational programs for children.
In Ventura County over 11,700 pounds of trash and recyclables were picked up.
In Santa Barbara County, according to the coordinator, Explore Ecology, about 5000 pounds of trash and recyclables were collected and that number could be going up based on the trash analysis.
The work was done by 1149 volunteers at 27 sites.
The breakdown was:
Trash Total: 3,530.78 pounds
Recyclable Total: 971.5 pounds
Total of Trash and Recyclables: 4, 502.28
Volunteers covered 69.86 miles.
Of the 27 sites, seven reported specific item counts.
The results are:
Plastic Pieces: 3, 816
Cigarette Butts: 1,994
Foam: 1,056
Straws: 154
Plastic Bottle Caps: 419
Food Wrappers: 693
Plastic Beverage Bottles: 184
Plastic Bags: 220
Cigar Tips: 95
89 bags of dog waste were found specifically at Bates Beach
The most unusual items listed as :
Weather Balloon
BB Gun
Whole Fire Hose
Deceased Duck
Flip Phone
iPhone
Femur Bone
Giant Teddy Bear
The volunteer effort covered an array of locations ranging from the most used beaches to the out of the way locations in Carpinteria, and along the Gaviota Coast.
For more information go to: ExploreEcology.org and Creek Week