Operation Clean Sweep yields more than 20,000 pounds of trash

Volunteers also collected about 4,500 cigarette butts from around San Diego Bay.

SAN DIEGO — A large gathering of volunteers congregated at various locations along San Diego Bay, Aug. 26, to participate in San Diego Port Tenants Association’s 27th annual Operation Clean Sweep.

Volunteers ultimately collected 23,448 pounds of trash and removed about 4,500 cigarette butts as part of the environmentally friendly meet-up.

Boaters, divers and walkers cleaned 18 sites along San Diego Bay, starting from Shelter Island in the northern harbor and all the way down to Chula Vista Marina. Other locations covered were Harbor Island, San Diego’s Embarcadero and National City.

Some unique trash items collected included bicycles, a buoy, Gucci bag, glasses, needles, a portion of a cart, a piece of dry dock, plastic waste, a rat trap, razor blades, a rug, sunken dinghies, tires, a toilet and a yoga mat.

In all there were 1,000 volunteers participating in Operation Clean Sweep, with assistance coming from Cal Marine Cleaning, Coast Guard Sector San Diego, Continental Maritime San Diego, General Dynamics NASSCO, Navy Region Southwest, Pacific Ship Repair, Pacific Tug Boat Services, The San Diego Mooring Co. and various port tenants. Civilian and Harbor Police divers also participated in the clean up event.

An estimated 13.37 tons of debris was removed during last year’s Operation Clean Up event, including a mollusk-encrusted toilet. The toilet earned first place honors at the event’s “Most Unique Trash” contest.

SDPTA photo

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