Volunteers collected over 4,000 pounds of trash from Santa Barbara County beaches on the 25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Among the unusual items found were a rubber fish, stereo equipment, tires, and even a bag of ecstasy pills. The top performing cleanup sites were Tajiguas Beach with 796 pounds collected by 16 volunteers, Haskell's Beach with 493 pounds collected by 16 volunteers, and Zanja De Cota Creek with 581 pounds collected by 25 volunteers. Cigarette butts were by far the most common debris item found on the beaches.

1. Coastal Cleanup Day
Two Tons of Trash Collected From Santa Barbara County Beaches
SANTA BARBARA, CA―DATE―Forget sea shells, volunteers combed local beaches in
search of garbage on DATE, the 25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. All together, a
weighty 4,443 lbs. of trash was collected.
According to Jeffrey Simeon, Program Specialist for the Public Works Department,
among the more unusual items found: a rubber fish, a stereo amplifier, a ladder, tires, a shopping
cart, a car floor mat, a bike wheel, an antique razor, spray paint cans, a BBQ grill and a bag of
ecstasy pills. The illegal drugs were immediately turned over to the proper authorities. Personal
hygiene items were also recovered. “I don’t want to go into detail, but suffice it to say, it’s good
to see people are engaging in safe practices,” says Karen Prechtel, Haskell’s Beach Cleanup
‘Captain’ and a volunteer from Bacara.
Twenty-three sites participated in the cleanup, but Jeffrey Simeon singled out three for
special recognition. The following locations collected the most weight per volunteer: At Tajiguas
Beach, sponsored by the Paradise Dive Club, 16 volunteers collected 796 lbs of debris or 50
lbs/person. At Haskell’s Beach, located in the City of Goleta and sponsored by Bacara Resort &
Spa, 16 volunteers collected 493 lbs of debris or 31 lbs/person. At Zanja De Cota Creek,
sponsored by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, 25 volunteers collected 581 lbs of
debris or 23 lbs/person. “I am hoping to have more creek sites involved next year,” says Jeffrey
Simeon.

2. Cans, bottles (many broken), plastic bags and food wrappers were among the most
frequently found debris. But cigarette butts were, by far, the most common item. “Cigarette
filters are non biodegradable so they need to be disposed of properly,” says volunteer Karen
Prechtel. “Apparently, smoking isn’t just bad for one’s health. It’s bad for our beaches, too.”
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