2010 Beach Cleanup Data for County and La Jolla Beaches

The Coastkeeper and Surfrider 2010 Beach Cleanup Data is in and La Jolla is sandwiched between the cleanest and most trash filled sandy stretches.

According to data released Monday by San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter, cigarette butts, Styrofoam and plastic are still the top three most common items cleaned up from San Diego County’s beaches.

In partnership since 2003, the environmental organizations conduct twice-monthly beach cleanups throughout the county and ask volunteers to keep detailed records of the debris they remove.

Data collection cards from the 2010 cleanups showed that cigarette butts, Styrofoam pieces and “other plastics” have been the three most common items found since 2007; volunteers removed more than 70,000 pieces of plastic from San Diego area beaches; and recovered pieces of Styrofoam have increased in three years from 10,000 to nearly 25,000.

Interesting finds in 2010 included an electronic keyboard, a conveyor belt and a soup ladle.

The data also allows comparisons between clean and dirty beaches in San Diego.  Torrey Pines State Beach has boasted the least trash for the last two years, while Pacific Beach’s Tourmaline Beach had the most trash collected by volunteers.

“The data highlights the trend of improper disposal of plastics such as single-use plastic bags, Styrofoam, food wrappers and bottles/caps, which do not biodegrade,” said Surfrider San Diego Chapter Coordinator Bill Hickman. “Cigarette butts remain a serious concern.”

According to Alicia Glassco, San Diego Coastkeeper’s Education and Marine Debris Manager, the organizations have taken their findings to city officials.

“We presented this data to the City of San Diego last week and asked council members to not spend taxpayer money on single-use plastic water bottles and Styrofoam food containers, which harm our environment,” she said.

In addition to the twice-monthly cleanups, both organizations participate in additional efforts organized by several local nonprofits. When totals from all major area cleanups are combined, nearly 40,000 volunteers collected about 635,000 pounds of trash from San Diego waterways and coastal beaches in 2010.

Coastkeeper and Surfrider have also recently announced their full 2011 schedule, which includes cleanups at Tourmaline Beach in North Pacific Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach.

For more information on the beach cleanups, visit sdcoastkeeper.com or surfriderSD.com.