> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 90,000 lbs. of garbage cleaned up off beaches - URL: https://www.smdp.com/90-000-lbs-of-garbage-cleaned-up-off-beaches/ - Published: 2005-09-20T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T07:48:11.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Environment, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Cleanup efforts happen once a month in LA* THE BEACH — A handgun, a sex toy and three suitcases of horror films. Those were the more notable items found by volunteers this past weekend during California Coastal Cleanup Day, which was part of a world-wide effort in 88 countries and all 50 states to cleanse coastal communities. The handgun — found stuck in the mud in Compton — was spotted by Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay, the Santa Monica-based nonprofit group that helped organize the cleanup effort in Los Angeles County. The suitcases of horror films were found in San Diego and won the top prize in the state for the weirdest find. Also found locally: a severed cow’s head in Ballona Creek, head gear for braces on the beach, and a pornographic video featuring a pregnant woman, which was found in the Sepulveda Basin. Other items included sofas, recliner chairs, a dining room table, dentures, a car hood, a frozen turkey and a toilet. In Northern California, a volunteer in Marin County found a message in a bottle, written in German by a man looking for a pen pal. And in Mono County, a volunteer found an 18-inch-long, three-inch in diameter zucchini, which apparently looked fresh enough to eat. Once again, cigarette butts were the most common pieces of trash found on the beach, said Meredith McCarthy, Coastal Cleanup manager for Heal the Bay. And needles are still ever present near Playa Del Rey, McCarthy said. Just more than 10,000 people volunteered for the cleanup effort in Los Angeles County, which was held in 61 locations on Saturday. The take: 89,908 pounds of trash and 2,682 pounds of recyclable material, according to McCarthy. That’s 10,000 more pounds of trash collected over last year. Fifteen more sites were added inland this year, with many organized as neighborhood cleanups. “The volume of what they pull out is incredible,” McCarthy said. “And those communities understand that they might not use the beach all the time, but they are part of the watershed.” Volunteer attendance was slightly down from last year, partly due to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, McCarthy said. The Pacific American Volunteer Association, headquartered in Koreatown, brought close to 1,500 people to Santa Monica. Santa Monica had the most volunteers with 2,500 people picking up garbage at six sites. “The city makes a big commitment,” to the local effort, McCarthy added. “It’s so impressive because people are so busy and it’s a beautiful thing to see people cleaning the beach on a Saturday.” All of the trash was hauled off the sand and brought to a landfill. There were thousands of pounds of Styrofoam and plastic. It’s been said that for every one pound of plankton in the Pacific Ocean, there are six pounds of plastic, McCarthy said. And as volunteers combed the beach, the dirty, brown waves lapping up on shore couldn’t be ignored. The visibility was so bad as a result of the red tide, and the high surf, that the dive/kayak cleanup site in the ocean off the Santa Monica Pier was canceled. “It’s like diving in Guinness,” said McCarthy, who also is a diver. September should be one of the clean-est times of the year for the coastal areas, since the storm drains are dry and there’s been no rain causing urban runoff. McCarthy hates to think what would be pulled out if the international effort was held during the rainy season. “If we did this after the first flush, we’d get a lot more,” she said. The effort was the 16th annual for Heal the Bay, the 21st for the state and the 20th internationally. With 75 percent of the cleanup sites reporting on Monday, the statewide count for volunteers was 40,723 people, who picked up 653,847 pounds of trash and 61,805 pounds of recyclable material. The California Coastal Commission expects to exceed 800,000 pounds of trash when the totals are in. Last year’s cleanup holds the record for the most trash ever collected — 50,753 volunteers picked up more than 912,000 pounds of trash and recyclables, 40 percent of which were cigarette butts. Volunteers picked up more than 309,000 of them in only three hours last year. To date, Heal the Bay’s efforts have netted 402 tons of trash. California Coastal Cleanup Day was first organized in 1985 by the California Coastal Commission, but the idea of a community-based cleanup event didn’t originate in the state. The year before, Oregon resident Judie Neilson had grown concerned over the amount of plastic debris she saw littering the Oregon coast. In October of 1984, she organized the first Coastal Cleanup Day, turning out more than 2,800 volunteers to the beaches of Oregon. California watched, admired, and the next year, emulated Neilson’s efforts with its first statewide Coastal Cleanup Day, according to the California Coastal Commission. Close to 2,500 Californians joined in the initial cleanup, and the program has been growing ever since. In 1986, The Ocean Conservancy ran its first Coastal Cleanup in Texas, and in later years became the coordinating agency for the International Coastal Cleanup, helping to spread the concept to nations around the world. In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized, with 50,405 volunteers. Since then, the reach of Coastal Cleanup Day has steadily spread inland. Most of the marine debris that are found on the beaches starts as urban trash or street litter. Cleanup efforts don’t just happen once a year — Heal the Bay hosts a cleanup the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon at a different location. “Nothin’ But Sand Cleanups” are hands-on opportunities designed for volunteers to directly improve the condition of Santa Monica Bay beaches. Locations rotate throughout the year amongst Los Angeles County’s dirtiest beaches. The next cleanup is scheduled for Oct. 15 at Venice Beach. Check healthebay.org for more information. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/092005-02_01.jpg) Randi Parent, community outreach coordinator from Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, stacks bags of trash on Saturday at Santa Monica Beach. (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 20, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/092005.pdf?ref=smdp.com)