Volunteers picked up thousands of pounds of trash across San Luis Obispo County during the Coastal Cleanup Day.
1,300 volunteers were out at 36 coastal and inland locations. Organizers said there was overall less trash than prior cleanup days. Volunteers picked up about 800 pounds less trash than last year.
Of the 5,700 pounds of trash collected, cigarette butts made up the most trash, accounting for 30 percent of the total trash. Volunteers ranked the top 10 collected trash items throughout the county as:
- Cigarette Butts: 15,360
- Food Wrappers: 6,091
- Pieces of Plastic: 5,995
- Pieces of Glass: 2,866
- Plastic Bottle Caps: 1,886
- Metal Bottle Caps: 1,531
- Pieces of Styrofoam: 1,423
- Plastic Bottles: 1,232
- Straws/ Stirrers: 1,187
- Glass Beverage Bottles: 1,087
The top give reporting sites for pounds of trash were:
- Arroyo Grande Creek (Oceano): 785 pounds
- Pirates Cove: 779 pounds
- Morro Strand South at Highway 41: 455 pounds
- Oceano Dunes at Pier Ave: 453 pounds
- Arroyo Grande Creek (Arroyo Grande): 352 pounds
The annual event, hosted by ECOSLO for the past 14 years, is part of the statewide and international Coastal Cleanup Day efforts, organized by the California Coastal Commission and Ocean Conservancy, respectively.
