Tons of Trash Removed in Coastal Cleanup

Santa Monica (myFOXla.com) - Around 150 tons of trash were picked up from Los Angeles County watersheds today by 14,038 Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers, according to the environmental group Heal the Bay.

That's a new record for both numbers.

The volunteers scoured beaches, parks, alleys, creeks, highways and storm drains from 9 a.m. to noon at 69 sites throughout the county.

City crews, families, local businesses, faith-based organizations, schools and youth sports teams removed 300,413 pounds of debris and recyclables.

The amount removed was up 65 percent from last year's total of 181,000 pounds.

The increased total was attributed to a more aggressive public works effort to remove bulky, heavy items from so-called Code Red sites at five locations in or near heavily urbanized, debris-choked waterways.

Since Heal the Bay's coastal cleanups began in 1990, a cumulative 1.17 million pounds of trash have been picked up.

Sites covered the entire county, from Tujunga to Long Beach and Compton to Malibu. Scuba dive teams canvassed the Santa Monica and Redondo Beach piers, while kayakers removed trash from Marina del Rey.

Among the more unusual items found this year was a life-size human skull model that divers in Redondo Beach first thought might be human remains.

Police were called to examine the object, which was found on the seafloor wrapped in plastic. Authorities cordoned off the area and brought forensics teams to examine the plastic skull. Its origins remain a mystery.

Other items found this year included a dead sea lion in Ballona Creek, a severed goat's head at Malibu Lagoon, a restroom urinal in Dominguez Channel, a 10-foot skiff on a trail near Malibu Creek, and a fake mustache at Zuma Beach.

"Coastal Cleanup Day is a remarkable day of action," said Karin Hall, executive director of Heal the Bay. "Volunteers removed a record amount of trash, but the biggest benefit of the day is raising so much awareness about the everyday steps people can take to reduce marine-bound pollution throughout the year."

Urban runoff from more than 200 storm drains flowing out to Santa Monica and San Pedro bays causes most of the local ocean pollution.

Statewide, 56,877 volunteers collected 801,937 pounds of debris throughout the state, according to preliminary figures from the California Coastal Commission.

More than 1.6 million pounds of trash was collected throughout California during last year's cleanup.

"This global effort is a reminder to all of us to be good stewards of the environment and put trash in its proper place," said Gail Farber, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.