Local Volunteers Ready to Bag the Trash on Coastal Cleanup Day
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Going one piece at a time, tons of trash will be picked up for Coastal Cleanup Day, set for Saturday from 9 a.m to noon.
There will be 37 sites just in Santa Barbara County with a team captain, pickers, gloves and buckets ready for volunteers. It is also a chance to see locations you may not normally visit.
The California effort overall is in coordination with worldwide cleanup programs.
Organizers say it is amazing how small buckets of trash can add up to tons of waste removed from the environment before it pollutes the shoreline and ocean.
The locations are not just on the beach. They include nearby parks, creeks and waterways that would have items that end up in the ocean or are harmful to the marine mammals in the waters.
Last year the number one item was a cigarette butt. Also discarded often are food wrappers, plastics and bags of all types. Often after a busy weekend, clothing and toys are also left on the beaches.
Jill Cloutier with Explore Ecology says, "it is really like a joint effort to stand up for the beach and the coast and the beautiful marine mammals that we all love." Throughout the state, she says there will be programs this weekend.
A UC Santa Barbara student in Environmental Studies was on a recent weekend cleanup and she was on a small team up with big results.
Kalea Isaac said, "we had four or five people come but we had 20 pounds of liter picked up so every small thing does makes a difference."
Even though we are a non smoking city, Cloutier said, "definitely cigarette butts are still number one. unfortunately and people may not know they have plastic in them. Plastic overall is the number one item."
On a typical walk along the waterfront you may often find small plastic containers that are used for items such as salsa, or plastic straws, lids and utensils.
Those participating in Coastal Cleanup Day keep a log of the items they pick up for an overall statewide calculation. Results come out later this year.
Isaac says she hopes some of the trash can be converted or reused into a new product.
For more information go to: Explore Ecology
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