Volunteers Clean Up Tons Of Debris Along NorCal Coast

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) -- More than 3,000 volunteers in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties collected a total of 17,147 pounds of debris from the Monterey Bay shoreline Saturday during the 29th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day, according to event organizers.

That amount included 14,517 pounds of trash and 2,630 pounds of recyclables.

In Santa Cruz County, a total of 2,025 volunteers working along 76 miles of beach, river, lake, creek and slough collected a total of 9,118 pounds of debris in three hours, according to the nonprofit Save Our Shores.

In Monterey County, 1,039 volunteers working along 81 miles of shorelines and waterways removed 8,029 pounds of debris during the same period.

The largest amount of debris was removed from Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Research Reserve, where around 4,800 pounds were recovered, organizers said.

Other top cleanup sites included Felton Covered Bridge Park with 2,700 pounds, Upper Carr Lake with 1,166 pounds, San Lorenzo River at Fillmore Street in Ben Lomond with 832 pounds and Struve Slough at Ramsey Park with 817 pounds.

"California Coastal Cleanup Day provides the greater Monterey Bay community a snapshot of our impact on local beaches and inland waterways," said Rachel Kippen, program manager at Save Our Shores.

"More importantly, it brings our community together to take action and inspires a collective behavior change that extends beyond September 21st," Kippen said.

Save Our Shores conducts monthly cleanups in Santa Cruz County on the third Saturday of each month, as well as Monterey County on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon, as well as at Davenport Main Beach on the first Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

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