SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — July 5th is considered to be the dirtiest beach day of the year, and a group of San Diegans did their part to clean up along the shore.
ABC 10News went to Ocean Beach to see a group of volunteers roll up their sleeves and get to work. Surfrider Foundation San Diego hosted eight beach clean up events across the coast on Wednesday.
Volunteers grabbed their buckets and garbage bags and got to work. Neighbors who live in the beach communities told ABC 10News they're glad these people worked to remove the eyesores and made the beaches pristine again.
"I enjoy engaging all kinds of cultures and outsiders, as long as they pick up their trash and don't leave it for us to pick up," a beachgoer told us.
"There's definitely a lot more trash. It's a little frustrating, but I try to pick it up when I can," another person at the beach said.
Surfrider San Diego says the day after Independence Day is typically one of their busiest days of the year.
"The morning after mess is kind of what you'd expect after a party. If you've ever been to a house party, it's a lot of cups and packaging, and that's exactly what it looks like on our beach. It's a lot of single-use plastics," Alex Ferron of Surfrider San Diego says.
Ferron has been with Surfrider San Diego for six years now. She says she started as a volunteer cleaning up the beaches.
"What really gets me motivated is seeing what our beach clean ups do," she says.
Last year's beach clean up brought more than 500 volunteers to beaches across the county. More than 1,600 pounds of garbage was collected in 2022.
"The trash has to be taken care of before it gets into our environment and the ocean. Plastic is particularly problematic, because it's not a material that breaks down. If you think of paper, it breaks down and down and down. Plastic breaks up, meaning it turns into smaller and smaller pieces," Ferron says.
Several beach clean ups were planned for July 5th, but neighbors in the beach community are encouraging all visitors to clean up when they can.
"Its pretty beautiful out there. I'd love to keep it that way. We love the beach, so try to keep it clean," one neighbor said.
