Ivy Munnerlyn, Coastal Programs Coordinator
Coastal Cleanup Month 2022 was a huge success, thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous sponsors. With warm weather and lessening pandemic restrictions, we saw an increase from 150 volunteers in 2021 to over 600 this year. School groups, religious organizations, and local nonprofits all got involved by hosting cleanup sites across the county.
All told, we removed over 3,500 lbs of trash from Humboldt beaches, streets, and trails. As usual, the #1 trash item was cigarette butts. Volunteers picked up 6,998 butts over the course of four weeks! Other top items were plastic food wrappers, microplastics, and nails.
Wondering where all these nails are coming from? Pallets are a cheap source of wood for bonfires, but they leave behind hundreds of nails in the sand. Next time you want to burn a pallet, remove the nails first. If you’d like to help collect nails that are left behind, contact the NEC and we can loan you a magnet stick.
We are incredibly grateful to the folks who came out to volunteer or helped spread the word. We also couldn’t have done this without our amazing sponsors: North Coast Co-op, Redwood Capital Bank, Compass Community Credit Union, Humboldt Pet Supply, Pierson Building Supply, Cypress Grove, Sierra Club North Group Redwood Chapter, and Eureka Natural Foods. See you all next year for Coastal Cleanup Month 2023!
