Thousands of residents and visitors will flock to San Diego’s beaches to celebrate the 4th of July this Thursday. While the beach is an epic place to celebrate the Fourth, The Surfrider Foundation has long referred to July 5 as “the dirtiest beach day of the year.”
On this day, volunteers remove incredible amounts of red, white, and blue single-use plastic cups, food packaging, abandoned belongings, fireworks, and cigarette butts from beaches nationwide. In 2023, volunteers removed 2,832 pounds of trash in three hours across eight sites.
The “Morning After Mess” cleanup series will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach Pier, San Diego River Estuary and Ocean Beach Dog Park, Mission Beach Park, Fiesta Island, Crystal Pier, Oceanside Pier, Moonlight State Beach, and South Ponto.
Surfrider volunteers will host the Imperial Beach and Oceanside Pier sites. Partner organizations will be hosting at other sites: San Diego River Park Foundation at Dog Beach, San Diego Coastkeeper at Mission Beach, I Love A Clean San Diego at Fiesta Island, Paddle for Peace at Pacific Beach, Un Mar De Colores at Moonlight Beach, COOLA at South Ponto, and Mitch’s Seafood at Ocean Beach Pier.
The “Morning After Mess” highlights the disastrous consequences of the reliance on wasteful, single-use plastic products in the coastal environment.
The San Diego County Chapter and its partners host the “Morning After Mess” cleanup series each year to help tackle the post-celebration mess. These cleanups are open to the public, and registration is live on Surfrider San Diego’s website. Bags, gloves, and trash grabbers will be provided while supplies last, but participants are encouraged to bring their reusable supplies if they have them.
“These cleanups raise awareness about the disproportionate impact single-use items have on the places we love and need,” said Gabriel Racca, beach cleanup coordinator for Surfrider Foundation San Diego. “We hope to see beachgoers ditch common single-use plastic items. Plastic waste like bottled water, cups, plates, utensils, etc., can be easily replaced with reusable versions — which are much less likely to be left behind and help reduce waste.”
The Surfrider Foundation San Diego has a handful of programs working to fight plastic pollution in San Diego. The Rise Above Plastics program has been key in introducing and passing single-use plastic and polystyrene ordinances across San Diego County. The program uses outreach, education, and advocacy to cut down on single-use plastics before they reach the coast.
For more information on Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter’s Morning After Mess cleanups on July 5, visit surfridersd.org/mam.
