Every year, without fail, Californians celebrate Fourth of July on the shores of Lake Tahoe, partying, eating, spending time with friends and family and watching the fireworks.
And every year, without fail, hundreds of residents spend Fifth of July cleaning up their mess. Sadly, this year is no different…
After Wednesday’s Fourth of July festivities left mounds of cans, bottles, cigarette butts and plastic on Tahoe’s shorelines, hundreds of volunteers with Keep Tahoe Blue gathered at five beaches for the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s annual July 5 beach cleanup.
More than 500 people turned out to volunteer for this year’s cleanup. Last year, volunteers collected more than 4,000 pounds of trash. This year’s efforts yielded about 1,500 pounds between Reagan, Nevada and Kiva Beaches in South Shore.
“I was surprised how clean the beach is this year already,” said Vicki Schussel, who has done the cleanup in the past. “As locals, it’s important that we have it clean for us and clean for visitors because they’re supporting our economy.”
The League encourages people to pick up every piece of trash, no matter how small, because they can be dangerous to wildlife. Though they are hard to spot, objects like cigarette butts and bits of plastic can be particularly harmful if ingested by animals. This year volunteers picked up 8,061 butts and 18,235 pieces of plastic. Human food, though it appears biodegradable, should be treated like any other piece of trash.
Previous Lake Tahoe Trash Cleanups
2015 – 2,300 Pounds of Trash Left on Tahoe’s Beaches This 4th of July
2016 – Lake Tahoe Trashed Over 4th of July Weekend | 7,738 Cigarettes Picked Up on Beaches
2017 – 1,676-Pounds of Garbage Left on Lake Tahoe Beaches on 4th of July, 2017
2018 (spring cleanup) – South Lake Tahoe Spring Cleanup Collects 2,500 Pounds of Trash
Proof that Lake Tahoe is the garbage can
Of the Bay Area .
Imagine how they would feel if everyone from tahoe came their backyard and dumped 1500 pounds of trash.
It amazes me the level of disrespect they show when the easiest thing to do is put it in a trash can . How f*****g lazy can a person be ?
Yes I’m pointing my finger at you piece of garbage tourists .
Bay Area Dirtbags