Beach Cleanup Nets Over 250 Pounds of Trash

About 35 vounteers collected between 250 and 300 pounds of debris from Albany Beach Sunday, reports Mary Barnsdale of the Albany Landfill Dog Owners Group, one of the organizers of the cleanup.

Park supervisor Scott Possin of the East Bay Regional Park District, which worked with the ALDOG on the cleanup, estimated the weight, Barnsdale said.

"He had to hoist it all into his park district truck, bless his heart," she said. "Scott was very pleased with the amount collected."

Barnsdale said most of the debris was small plastics and styrofoam, although there were chunks of construction lumber, large plastic sides of containers, rotten fabrics, rope, chunks of metal, and both intact and broken bottles. One syringe was found in a crack in the Cove structure.

Volunteers also collected information about the debris to enter into the California Coastal Commission's Tsunami Debris Collection Project database.

Two years ago this month, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit Japan and created a tsunami, resulting in 5 million tons of debris being washed out to sea. About 1.5 million tons was buoyant enough to enter the Pacific Ocean currents, according to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

Original projections called for the debris to arrive this March, but some confirmed debris has already arrived on the West Coast,

"While we didn't find anything  that's recognizably from Japan, the data creates a baseline and the CCC has told us they will be delighted to have it," Barnsdale said." Albany Beach is the first site in Alameda County to participate in the Tsunami Debris Collection Project."

Volunteers came from Albany, Benicia, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Kensington, Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro and San Pablo, Barnhill said.

"There were about 10 students from St. Mary's High School in Berkeley, senior citizens, family groups, and one Albany resident who was just cycling by with his young son and stopped to pitch in," she said.