San Diego (KGTV) — The day after a busy holiday, San Diego beaches are often littered with tons of trash. Early Friday morning, volunteers were out in force to help clear the mess. They say overflowing bins and piles of trash are typical during summer months, not just the day after a holiday.
“Every weekend during the summer it is like this,” said volunteer Cathy Ives.
Before the sun was even out, Ives was combing through the sand at Mission Beach, picking up trash.
Her goal is to rescue as many forgotten towels, clothes, and shoes as possible before they end up in the ocean.
“Last weekend, which was not a holiday weekend, I picked up 30 towels in one mile." Ives said. "I'm averaging 11 shoes a day ... They [The towels] get reused and given to the homeless, the humane society, and whoever else needs towels.”
Other common items Ives finds include broken water boards and beach toys. She estimates picking up around 50 toys and toy parts each day.
Ives volunteers with the nonprofit Don’t Trash Mission Beach. She said on average they pick up six to eight tons of waste a year.
The annual "Morning after Mess" beach cleanup was also in full swing on Friday morning. Volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coastkeeper were out clearing items from the grass and sand, some of which were almost too small to see.
“Mostly cigarettes, that's like our No.1 most years .. It can be a little tedious picking them up, but it makes a big difference,” said Paige Rohwer, a volunteer with San Diego Coastkeeper.
While cleanups were held at multiple locations, volunteers said that Mission Beach is typically one of the messiest after the Fourth of July holiday.
“You would think that people would have learned about plastic pollution, but obviously they have not,” said Ives.
