Huddling among other humans to watch loud fireworks explode in the sky apparently made beach visitors forget the golden rule to enjoying nature: If you pack it in, remember to pack it out.
Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that people trashed L.A.'s coastlines as they celebrated the 4th of July last night. Among the items reported to be left behind are one whole barbecue grill and various tents that people were too lazy to break down and take back home. Not to mention countless tons of plastic-based debris.
Volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation took it upon themselves to clean up beaches across Southern California that were littered with left behind trash. From San Diego to San Francisco, including an effort in Huntington Beach, hundreds of people showed up to help clean up the mess.
The amount of trash was overwhelming, including beer and soda cans, chip bags, fireworks, and plastics. KC Fockler, education coordinator for Surfrider's North Orange County chapter, estimates that they picked up an estimated 1,500 pounds just within their county's beaches alone.
“It’s almost heart-wrenching,” he tells the paper.
It is important to clean up the beaches for aesthetic reasons critical to everyone's enjoyment of the sand, of course, and more urgently to protect wildlife that have called the coast home long before humans secretly drank beer on them.
And to be straight, just to not be a complete garbage human.
If you missed today's cleanup, there are upcoming cleanups scheduled for this weekend, and anyone who wants to help is welcome to participate. Check out Surfrider's L.A. chapter for the latest clean-up in your area.
