Surfrider San Diego has come up with their report on the amount of trash collected on July 5th — making it “America’s dirtiest beach day of the year” as after the fireworks and celebrations fade and the crowds go home, our beaches are left covered in trash.
They reported:
On Saturday morning, 866 volunteers gathered along the coast on Saturday morning to assist with the Surfrider Foundation San Diego’s 19th Annual “Morning After Mess” beach cleanup series — a post-Fourth of July effort to tackle the trash left behind after the holiday. In three hours, volunteers removed more than 2,617 pounds of trash, preventing it from ending up in our ocean and contributing to the growing pollution crisis impacting marine ecosystems.
Few holidays leave behind as much litter on San Diego County beaches as the Fourth of July. The “’Morning After Mess” cleanup series highlights the environmental impact of the trash and debris left in the wake of the celebrations. Each year, the San Diego County Chapter and its partners come together to address this issue and restore our coastlines.
Yet, looking at their numbers in total weights by site, it’s quite obvious that Ocean Beach combined with OB Dog Beach and the Estuary had the most trash. Why is this? 169 pounds of trash was collected by volunteers at OB proper and then an astounding 700 pounds by collected from OB Dog Beach & Estuary (with assistance from the San Diego River Park Foundation) for a grand total of 869 pounds! Wow!
Here are the totals from the other sites:
- Imperial Beach: 76 lbs
- Seaport Village at Sally’s Waterfront Dining: 125 lbs
- Fiesta Island with I Love A Clean San Diego: 751 lbs
- Mission Beach with San Diego Coastkeeper: 254 lbs
- Pacific Beach with Paddle for Peace: 173 lbs
- Moonlight Beach with The Bountiful Bag & San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative: 135 lbs
- Oceanside: 234 lbs
We don’t have an answer to our question. It’s just sad to acknowledge that so much garbage is left on the beaches after the celebration of Independence Day. Any thoughts?
Surfrider also commented:
“It’s interesting to compare year to year. In 2024, 688 volunteers recovered over 3,900 pounds of trash which was mostly single-use plastics. This year, nearly 200 more people showed up, and we collected slightly less trash. While hopeful, it doesn’t mean the work is done. We still found plenty of litter left behind.
Today marked the 19th Annual Morning After Mess cleanup. While we take pride in organizing this event each year, I genuinely look forward to the day we don’t have to wake up early to clean up after the Fourth of July. It’s still one of the dirtiest beach days of the year. Our ocean deserves better.
And while progress is possible, we need more people to commit to real, habitual change, not just on holidays, but every day. We all need to do better, our beaches depend on it,” said Joana Guerra, Chapter Manager of the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter.
“It’s just amazing to see that people care about the beach and come here and clean up. We get new people every time,” said Archer S., a volunteer at Imperial Beach.
The Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter hosts a variety of events each month focused on protecting and enjoying our local beaches. To learn more, visit www.surfridersd.org.
About The Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 500,000 supporters, activists and members, with more than 200 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 800 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org, or visit surfriderSD.org.
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Joana Guerra | San Diego Chapter Manager | Surfrider Foundation
619.914.0669 | jguerra@sandiego.surfrider.org
The large blue trash cans that the city put out on the beach between Saratoga and Brighton are gone. Removed by the city during the winter high tides they have not been replaced. City workers said they would be back by the 4th of July were blowin smoke. No trash cans on the beach means more trash on the beach. There were at least 4 cans always on the beach from
Avalanche to Brighton.Now the large trash truck just rolls by on the sand, no work to do here.
I believe this same question was “asked and answered” last year. The Dog Beach parking lot is a collection point, not only for holiday beach trash, but also for trash flowing down the San Diego River into the estuary. It’s a much larger collection area and includes trash deposited prior to the holiday.