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