MISSION BEACH (KGTV) — More than 100 volunteers gathered at Mission Beach on Sunday to pick up trash and protect the environment following the July 4th holiday.
Carol Reed is one of those volunteers. She picks up trash at Mission Beach as part of a weekly routine she used to share with her late husband, who passed away in December. Over the years, she has collected many interesting items.
"It's hard. This is, this, it is every time I pick it up it's hard, and he would go along with his bag and his and pick up trash," Reed said.
"Pick up trash, car keys, glasses, clothes, underwear, bathing suits," Reed said.
A line of volunteers gathered Sunday to weigh and sort the trash they collected. The cleanup was organized by San Diego Coastkeeper, an organization that uses community outreach and education to maintain healthy coastlines.
San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation collaborated for the event.
Camila Ruiz, Community Science Coordinator for San Diego Coastkeeper, said the holiday brought out a strong turnout.
"Fourth of July tends to bring out a lot of people to our beaches and parks, so we have around 130 people here today. So I think that's a pretty good turnout," Ruiz said.
Ruiz said keeping San Diego beaches clean is important.
"It's great that people wanted to come out here the day after a holiday. Maybe they were tired from last night, but they still made it out here so it's always really appreciated. This is a great community to be in to find people who also want to spend their time doing this. It's really meaningful and helps us as well," Ruiz said.
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