Beaches Recover From Memorial Day Weekend

Save Our Shores mass cleanup effort removes 790 pounds of trash

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary – After the long Memorial Weekend of fun, Monterey Bay beaches looked tired. The North Coast was the hardest hit in terms of trash, particularly Davenport and Panther Beach. Thankfully, 70 volunteers took some time during the holiday weekend and the day after to lend a hand at 5 different Save Our Shores beach cleanup sites. Volunteers helped the marine conservation nonprofit prevent nearly 790 pounds of waste from entering the ocean. The most common holiday single-use items removed were polystyrene cups and plates, plastic utensils, beer bottles, fast food wrappers, and cigarette butts. The outrageous included a full grill, pop-ups and tents, a few broken chairs, wads of underwear, and hundreds of single-use shot glasses.

Totals for Save Our Shores beach cleanups:

• Davenport Main Beach, Santa Cruz County (2 cleanups): 600 pounds of trash removed
• Cowell and Main Beach, Santa Cruz County (2 cleanups): 75 pounds of waste removed
• Seabright State Beach, Santa Cruz County: 44 pounds of trash removed, including 94 cigarette butts and 73 plastic cups
• Twin Lakes State Beach, Santa Cruz County: 25 pounds of trash removed
• Del Monte State Beach, Monterey County: 43 pounds of tiny plastic trash removed, including well over 1,000 cigarette butts

Save Our Shores also provided pollution prevention at Cowell and Main Beach in the heart of Santa Cruz on Monday the 30th. Before crowds turned up in thousands, SOS volunteers and staff hung large banners along the beach parking lots and bathrooms, reminding visitors to “enjoy their visit” to the beach and “keep it clean.” They also spent 5 hours handing out free garbage bags to visitors who came unprepared to deal with their waste. In total, SOS handed-out 538 bags and talked to thousands of visitors about the impact their waste can have on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. California State Parks were also out issuing warnings about glass bottles on the beach and illegal drinking while handing out a few trash bags when they deemed it needed.

Save Our Shores would like to thank its Holiday Relief Program partners and sponsors for helping keep Monterey Bay beaches clean: The Coastal Commission, County of Santa Cruz Department of Public Works, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, City of Santa Cruz, New Leaf Community Markets, Monterey Regional Waste Management District, Greenwaste Recovery Inc, Campbell Foundation, Whole Foods Market, Santa Cruz Sentinel, KSCO, Waste Management, Driscoll’s, and Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems.