Volunteers picked up more than 800 pounds of trash from sites in Ocean Beach on July 5 as part of the 19th annual “Morning After Mess” post-Fourth of July cleanup of San Diego County beaches sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation’s San Diego chapter.
The effort cleaned up 169 pounds of litter left from July 4 revelry in the area of the Ocean Beach Pier and 700 pounds around Dog Beach, according to Surfrider. The San Diego River Park Foundation also participated in the Dog Beach cleanup.
All told, 866 volunteers removed 2,617 pounds of trash in three hours from nine locations in the county.
“Few holidays leave behind as much litter on San Diego County beaches as the Fourth of July,” Surfrider said in a statement. “The ‘Morning After Mess’ cleanup series highlights the environmental impact of the trash and debris left in the wake of the celebrations … preventing it from ending up in our ocean and contributing to the growing pollution crisis impacting marine ecosystems.” ♦