Responding in Real Time to Beaches That Need Us Most
Almost every weekend, you can find people picking trash up and down Los Angeles’s shoreline as part of the perpetual effort to keep our beaches clean. Surfrider L.A. frequently leads the charge, working with partner organizations to invite as many volunteers as possible into the fold and respond in real time to changing environmental hazards.
It was thanks to the strong ties with our friends at Color the Water – a BIPOC advocacy group that gives surf lessons to people of color – that Surfrider learned about a garbage crisis unfolding at Dockweiler Beach last month. After our Beach Cleanup Coordinator Chanae Owens sounded the alarm on social media, our dedicated volunteer network responded to a last-minute rescheduling and gathered at Dockweiler early on April 29 to finish where Color the Water left off.
By the end of the day 195 people had collected 792 pounds of trash, bringing the total weight of garbage collected in April to 1,693 pounds. With over 677 people showing up to 14 different cleanups throughout Earth Month, from Point Dume to the South Bay, Surfrider is endlessly grateful for our community of coastal stewards keeping the ocean clean. Surfrider LA looks forward to collaborating with the South Bay Surfrider on an ongoing plan to help mitigate the trash pollution issue on Dockweiler Beach.
Nicole Mooradian, Public Information Officer at L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors, said trash issues have been compounded this year by staffing shortages and strong winter storms. With its proximity to Ballona Creek, Dockweiler is especially vulnerable.
However, beachgoers can take easy steps to reduce the burden on county workers and keep our beaches clean for all to enjoy.
“One of the easiest things folks can do when they visit the beach is to pack in, pack out: Bring a bag to the beach, and use it to take trash home to throw away. This helps prevent the beach trash bins from overflowing,” Mooradian said.
“Folks should also remember that ocean pollution begins at home – whatever goes into the storm drain flows out into the ocean. When it rains, debris from the storm drain ends up in the water, where waves wash it onto the beach.”
And as always, Surfrider welcomes volunteers new and old to check our clean-up calendar, sponsor a clean-up for their company, or use our online resources to organize a cleanup of your own.
