Thousands Hit Beaches for Annual Coastal Cleanup

Armed with gloves, plastic garbage bags and the spirit of volunteerism, 7,519 people took to Los Angeles County beaches Saturday and collected more than 11,500 pounds of trash during the 12th annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

Crews of volunteers combed more than 20 sites throughout the county, collecting plastic six-pack rings, foam cups, glass bottles and other assorted debris left by beach-goers. The most common find: cigarette butts, thousands of them.

People in Los Angeles, Orange and surrounding counties joined crews scouring the California coastline from Mexico to Oregon, along with workers tending to shores as far inland as Lake Tahoe.

Statewide, 27,392 volunteers collected 339,295 pounds of trash and 60,103 pounds of recyclables. Unusual finds included underwear, a laptop computer and two cremation urns.

The litter is more than an eyesore, cleanup organizers say. Trash, especially the six-pack binders, can entangle and endanger marine life and seagoing birds.

In Huntington Beach, hundreds of people turned out for the effort and for performances by singers Bonnie Raitt and Graham Nash to benefit the fragile Bolsa Chica wetlands. The event was soured, however, by the sight of a badly decomposed fin whale that washed up Friday night.

“It was unfortunate because this is an environmental crowd here, and to have that happen kind of put a damper on things,” state lifeguard Dick Deboer said.