3,220 Volunteers Collect 8.14 Tons in Annual Coastal Cleanup

Save Our Shores takes preventative measures for potential big El Niño year

The 31st Save Our Shores (SOS) Annual Coastal Cleanup came to a close with encouraging results. In just three hours, 3,220 volunteers (over 500 student participants) at 85 cleanup sites between Año Nuevo Bay and Arroyo Seco River in the Los Padres National Forest collected and prevented nearly 6.2 tons of trash from entering the Pacific Ocean.

In Santa Cruz County, 2,015 volunteers removed 8,699 pounds (4.35 tons) of waste. In Monterey County, 1,254 volunteers removed 7,583 (3.8 tons) pounds of waste.

#SOStrashtalk reports the top six dirtiest cleanup sites of Annual Coastal Cleanup (in order): Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Research Reserve (3,500 lbs of trash), San Lorenzo River at the Felton Covered Bridge (2,800 lbs), Upper Carr Lake (1,219 lbs), Pajaro River at River Park (975 lbs), San Lorenzo River at the Tannery Arts Center (600 lbs), Sand City Beach at West Bay (360 lbs).

Total pounds of trash collected in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties combined: 13,623 lbs.

Total pounds of recycling collected in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties combined: 2,649 lbs.

Notable and strange cleanup finds:

• 9 shopping carts at Upper Carr Lake in Salinas
• 2 bicycles, 4 mattresses, 20 tires, and 35 battery chargers at San Lorenzo River at the Felton Covered Bridge
• 10 mattresses, 20 tires, and 6 TVs at Elkhorn Slough
• Antique gun at Del Monte State Beach
• Half of a kayak at Seabright Beach
• 27 needles at the Tannery Arts Center
• Tons of monofilament and 22 Mylar balloons at Moss Landing in Monterey

When asked about the event, Annual Coastal Cleanup Coordinator, Bronti Patterson, replied, “This year’s results were encouraging. We covered the same area as last year with almost the same volunteer turnout, but removed thousands of pounds less trash.”

Save Our Shores Annual Coastal Cleanup participants are encouraged to post their event photos on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter using both #SaveOurShores and #CoastalCleanupDay. If both hashtags are used, photos will be entered into a SOS photo contest for the largest trash item collected, the strangest item collected, and the best cleanup site (1) trash pile photo and (2) group photo.

SOS thanks all participants, supporters, and partners that helped make the 31st Annual Coastal Cleanup successful, especially the City and Counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey, California State Parks, Greenwaste, and Waste Management.

While Annual Coastal Cleanup is an effective event for marine debris abatement, awareness, and education, it only lasts one day, for a few hours. Save Our Shores conducts grassroots cleanups and outreach programs in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties year-round. SOS maintains a calendar of community events each week at saveourshores.org/calendar.

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Save Our Shores (SOS) is a marine conservation nonprofit dedicated to caring for California’s Central Coast. Over the last 35 years, SOS has been locally responsible for establishing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, preventing offshore oil drilling, developing the nationally renowned Sanctuary Stewards beach cleanup program and the Dockwalkers clean boating program, banning plastic bag use in over 30 cities and counties, and leading various marine conservation educational programs throughout the Monterey Bay area. Learn more at saveourshores.org