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Volunteers Pick Up Half-Ton Of Trash From Oakland Shores

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Dozens of volunteers pitched in Saturday morning to scrub Oakland's coastline of trash in honor of California Coastal Cleanup Day, according to event organizers.

Scouring a half-mile of shoreline near the Damon Slough, the 75 volunteers collected 60 bags of trash and large debris, said Amy Ricard, spokeswoman for Save The Bay, the nonprofit that led the volunteers.

The 1,000 pounds of trash collected included 500 plastic bags, 700 straws, 900 food wrappers, 500 cigarette filters and 1,350 plastic caps or lids, Ricard said.

The commonly littered items threaten water quality, public health and Bay wildlife.

The most unusual item collected during the three-hour cleanup that ended at noon, she said, was a Mexican Consulate identification card.

Last year on California Coastal Cleanup Day, volunteers pulled more than 172 tons of trash and recyclables -- including 48,000 plastic bags -- from the Bay and its waterways, according to data collected by some 26,000 volunteers who participated.

Thousands of volunteers across the Bay Area were expected to descend on the region's beaches today to participate in the restoration effort, which is also the state's largest volunteer event.

Today marks the 27th annual cleanup event organized by the California Coast Commission.

This week, Save The Bay -- the largest regional organization working to protect and restore San Francisco Bay -- released its sixth annual Bay Trash Hot Spots, which showcases five creeks and shoreline areas known to be polluted with plastic bags, Styrofoam containers and other trash.

Residents can vote for which location should be adopted by the nonprofit, which will host a series of volunteer cleanups throughout next year.

An interactive map of the sites can be viewed at www.saveSFbay.org/baytrash.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

 

 

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