PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Volunteers with SOLVE Oregon were up and at it Sunday morning to clean up trash left behind from Fourth of July celebrations along the coast.
Volunteers worked collectively from Lincoln City to Gearhart picking up trash from fireworks and picnics. SOLVE said thousands of pounds of debris and litter was pulled from the sand of Oregon’s beaches.
Those who volunteered at Sunday’s beach clean up were mindful of the current pandemic and wore face coverings and maintained social distance.
The 5th of July beach cleanup served as the kick off to SOLVE’s Summer Beach Cleanup Series after the Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup was canceled in March due to the coronavirus.
In the summer months, most of the trash found on beaches comes from visitors to the coast, said the non-profit that focuses on restoration and stewardship. Roughly 70% of debris found in the ocean comes from “inland sources which include rivers and streams, but also from people recreating on the beach,” according to the Ocean Conservancy.
SOLVE provides the training, as well as the supplies and disposal assistance, for any beach cleanups along the Oregon coast.