Local News in Brief : Huntington Beach : A Colorful Campaign Against Litter Begins

Starting today, beach-goers will see new, aqua-colored drums in Bolsa Chica and Huntington State beaches, city and state officials said Tuesday, as they unveiled an anti-litter program.

The effort is part of “California Cleaning,” a 1-year-old state pilot program aimed at increasing public awareness about litter problems.

Each beach will have 300 drums--donated by a local disposal company--and will replace the 250 yellow drums in use at each beach, said Donald Castle, an employee with the state Department of Parks and Recreation. Each drum has a 55-gallon capacity.

The higher number of drums “will assist us greatly in containing the trash people drop off,” he said, adding that from July to September, about 6,500 cubic yards of garbage are hauled monthly, contrasted with 500 cubic yards per month the rest of the year.

The anti-litter effort, which may be expanded to other state beaches, is also aimed at tourists and the money they bring to the state economy, California Waste Management Board member Sam Arakalian said.

“People come from all over the states, and we want to present them with a clean beach,” he said.