5 Things We Find On Beach Cleanups

Nancy Brannum   Jan 19, 2024

After ten years, Signature Underwater Divers Club (SUDS) made one significant change in 2023. We added a Conservation Coordinator to our board.

The club has a history with local efforts to keep our ocean clean. We join forces with scuba divers and non-divers every year in the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup. Our divers can be seen resurfacing, usually with some type of debris that doesn't belong in the sea. But it is our beach cleanups that tell the truth about our environment. People praise these local beaches for being 'clean' beaches. But we need reveal the dirty truth of a 'clean' beach. Here are 5 things we find on ‘clean’ beaches and the answers may surprise you.

5. Chones. For all those captain Underpants of the world. The seagulls are tired of your skivvies. We don’t care if you want to be free of them, but please see them away from our sea.

4. Straw wrappers. Those drinks that come with straws that poke through a seal to deliver delicious hydration. We find straws too, but we find those pesky clear wrappings all over. They are usually victims of the wind and sand. We think everyone should bring their own reusable container. We are implementing this for our very own events.

3. Shoes, plastic bottles, and drink tops. Like Jimmy Buffet said, “I blew out my flip flop, Stepped on a pop top.” Well, the late Mr. Buffet was not wrong. We find broken and abandoned shoes and a lot of drink caps. We’re not pointing fingers, but someone is to blame. Put those shoes in the garbage so it does not find its way to Santa Catalina. The Garibaldi do not want them.

2. Kids toys. We find so many action figures, that one of our members jokingly said that we should make Christmas ornaments out of them. By the end of the cleanup, we would have had enough for several trees. All that plastic becomes microplastic. It will find its way to your great-grandchildren's ocean. Take inventory and set a limit of how many toys bring to the beach, so no toys get left behind (this may be our pitch for Toy Story 6).

1. Not microplastics. You may be thinking that ‘not microplastics’ is just plastic. It’s not. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter. Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items. For example, water bottles create secondary microplastics. We find small plastics that have been broken down.

 

Cleaning up large plastic is easy. Sitting in the sand, sifting through seaweed and debris to pull out tiny pieces of plastic is not only time consuming—it is also disappointing. Especially if you consider the square feet of the entire beach. Remember these are so-called ‘clean’ beaches with expensive parking. Try bringing a sifter to your next beach cleanup. You are welcome to join us any time.

You do not have to be a scuba diver. We have excellent shore support. We’ll even supply buckets and trash-pickers. Together we can make a difference and have an impact on our ecosystem!

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