Oregon Coast Beach Cleanup Brings Out 4,000 People, Only Handful of Oddities

Published 03/31/2013

(Oregon Coast) – More than 4,080 volunteers helped clean trash and other manmade debris off the Oregon coast Saturday for the annual SOLVE Spring Beach Cleanup – a slightly larger number than the average of 3,700. Thanks to exceptional weather, which included no wind and lots of blue sky, there was a bit more of a turnout than usual.

A few oddities were reported to Oregon Coast Beach Connection, but SOLVE admits it didn't keep track of a lot of the unusual stuff this time around. An estimated 52,477 pounds of debris was removed, however, and that included 60 tires taken off the beaches.

"This event would not be possible without the dedicated Zone and Beach Captains that coordinate all of the check-in sites and facilitate the participation of thousands of volunteers," said Briana Goodwin, Program Coordinator for SOLVE. "The success of this event truly belongs to everyone that participated."

Bandon-based Washed Ashore took everything from seven different check-n sites and will turn them into art at their facility This resulted in more than 7,500 pounds of debris kept from landfills.

"We are excited to be a part of this new endeavor to include debris from the entire Oregon coast in our future educational exhibits," said Melissa Berg, Workshop Coordinator for Washed Ashore. "This 'garbage' will be transformed into giant sculptures of sea creatures by community volunteers to raise awareness of the marine debris that threatens oceanic ecosystems."

Godwin said there weren't a lot of real oddities being reported this time around: mostly Styrofoam, water bottles with Asian writing on them and a few small refrigerators were the most unusual the head office at SOLVE had heard about.

Oregon Coast Beach Connection managed to talk to a few zone captains, however.

In the area from Ona Beach through Yachats they found a recliner, according to area captain Doug Sestrich. Perhaps among the oddest finds reported were from this area, including an iron bench (perhaps from a park someplace) and a message in a bottle. Sestrich said he never did hear what that message was.

The area around Pacific City had finds that included a life jacket with Asian writing.

One of the odder finds came from around Rockaway Beach. Area captain Dixie Sexton said they found a toilet seat at one point.

“But we found the cover elsewhere,” she said.

Her area's unusual finds also included a microwave, as well as the telltale sign about someone's past beach trip: a set of iron prongs used for roasting hot dogs.

“There were 156 bags and 227 people” Sexton said. This was an exceptional number since they usually get around 150. Her area was also the only one that served lunch, feeding about 125 people after the event.

Tsunami debris was on the minds of everyone, of course.

SOLVE once again partnered with more than a dozen Japan related organizations with the help of the Japan-Related Organizations Coordinating group. In addition to bringing out 200 volunteers, the organizations also provided Japanese readers at 10 registration sites to determine the language of origin printed on debris.

Godwin said she had been part of the recovery efforts in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and now she believes there is definitely a bond between the two countries.

"Not only am I proud of the compassion and collaboration shown by my fellow Oregonians as we seek to help the survivors in Japan overcome this terrible burden, but I am hopeful for our future. The lessons we have learned about the importance of disaster preparation and the incredible ties we have formed with our neighbors in their time of need. These things are irreplaceable."

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