Thousands Gather for 29th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day

An estimated 7,500 volunteers gathered for San Diego's largest environmental event

Thousands of volunteers gathered Saturday across different sites in San Diego for a massive annual outdoor cleanup event.

With trash bags in hand, approximately 7,500 volunteers simultaneously picked up litter at 102 designated cleanup sites across the county from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. as part of the 29th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day hosted by the “I Love a Clean San Diego” organization.

Organizers said the environmental event, aimed at battling coastal and inland pollution in San Diego, was expected to yield about 150,000 pounds of trash.

Over the course of the day, volunteers collected more than 75 tons of trash and recycling from coastal, inland and urban sites throughout the county -- from Bonsall and City Heights to Coronado and Mission Bay.

Organizers say some of the more unusual items removed during the cleanup event included an electric foot massager, a working iPad and iPod and a puppy.

One of the cleanup sites was a Gompers Park on Hilltop Drive. There, volunteers were joined by several San Diego leaders including Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox and Councilmember Myrtle Cole.

Meanwhile, San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts joined volunteers at the San Dieguito Lagoon cleanup site, while Councilmember Lorie Zapf met volunteers at Mission Bay.

Councilmember Scott Sherman hosted the cleanup site at Fashion Valley and Councilmember Marti Emerald toured all sites within the City Heights area.

This year, organizers say volunteers cleaned more sites than ever -- 102, to be exact.

Coastal Cleanup Day is part of a statewide cleanup event across California that includes more than 60,000 volunteers from nearly every county in the state.

To learn more about Coastal Cleanup Day, click here. For details about I Love a Clean San Diego, visit this website.
 

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