SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's beaches will be busy throughout the 4th of July weekend. It's the first major holiday since coronavirus restrictions have lifted.
While it's an excellent time for businesses looking to rebound after a difficult 2020, there are significant concerns about the trash that's expected to be left behind.
"July 5th has always meant one of the dirtiest, most polluted beach days of the year for us," said Alex Ferron, Chair of the San Diego Surfrider Foundation.
While numerous trash cans could be seen along Mission Beach, Ferron said many people still choose to ignore them. Six different clean-ups are already scheduled across San Diego County for Monday.
"The debris that we find as a result of the 4th of July is kind of what you'd expect. It's the result of a lot of picnics, a lot of barbequing, a lot of food waste packaging, primarily it's a lot of plastic trash," said Ferron.
In 2018, she said the Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter picked up more than a thousand pounds of trash the day after the holiday.
They're not only clearing out the mess but documenting it, making sure people are aware of the pollution and plastic issues.
"It's really hard to understand what's impacting our beaches unless we know what's exactly impacting our beaches. So, this is a great tool for us to be able to help advocate for policy that will make a real impact in reducing what's affecting our environment," she explained.
She said the best thing everyone can do is bring reusable items to picnics at the parks, bay, and beaches, then take them back home.
"Easy low hanging fruit is a reusable water bottle, packing your snacks ahead of time so that things aren't going to stay back here on accident, it's all stuff that you're going to bring home with you," she said.
