Thousands of volunteers participate in cleanup effort

Styrofoam, cigarette butts, plastic and other items were among the trash collected from local beaches Saturday morning during California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Thousands of volunteers from across Orange County headed to coastal areas to pick up debris in an effort to keep it from traveling to the ocean. Volunteers in Newport Beach combed the sand at Corona del Mar, Upper Newport Bay and other places looking for trash. Another group helped remove invasive plants at Upper Newport Bay.

The event was part of an annual statewide effort sponsored by the California Coastal Commission to keep plastic and other refuse from entering the ocean and injuring wildlife. More than 67,000 pounds of trash and recyclables were collected in Orange County during last year’s cleanup.

“Over the past 30 years, more than 1.2 million Californians have joined together on Coastal Cleanup Day to help protect our coast and ocean,” Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Kinsey said in a statement. “With more than 18 billion pounds of plastic entering the world’s oceans every year, the need for this event is greater than ever.”

—Hannah Fry