Surfrider Foundation tackles July 4 ‘morning after mess’ at Moonlight Beach

The Surfrider Foundation and partner agencies hosted post-Fourth of July “Morning After Mess” cleanups on July 5, with volunteers removing more than 1,645 pounds of trash from seven popular San Diego beaches.

At Encinitas’ Moonlight Beach, the organization Un Mar De Colores led the clean-up effort, gathering 88 pounds of trash.

Un Mar De Colores (An Ocean of Colors) is a local organization that inspires inclusivity, diversity and ocean stewardship through surf therapy for children of color and underserved youth.

Of the seven beaches in the clean-up drive, Ocean Beach’s Dog Beach volunteers pulled in the biggest haul with 735 pounds of trash. The majority of the trash collected consisted of single-use plastics that otherwise would be washed into the sea, adding to the already critical pollution problem.

“Many of our volunteers remarked that the beaches seemed cleaner than in previous years, which is a great sign! Despite that, we can not lose sight of the fact that even one piece of trash on the beach is one piece too many,” said Alex Ferron, Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter manager in a news release. “More than anything, we hope our beach cleanups inspire San Diegans to continue down the path of coastal stewardship, to continue lessening their reliance on single-use plastics, and hold businesses and governments accountable for the plastic pollution that has no place in our communities, on our beaches, or in our ocean.”

To learn about Un Mar De Colores and upcoming summer surf camps, visit mar-de-colores.org. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation San Diego, visit surfridersd.org