TRASH FACTS

How does it get there?

The five primary ways trash enters a creek or river are:

  1. Trash in the street can flow into a storm drain during a rainstorm or when potable water is discharged.  (i.e. over irrigating, car washing, hydrant breaks, etc.).

  2. Direct littering in or adjacent to waterways.

  3. Wind-blown trash from City streets. 

  4. Large scale illegal dumping next to or in waterways.

  5. Direct disposal of trash into waterways from vessels such as commercial, military, fishing, or recreational boats. 

Studies show most trash is generated on land, and the primary way it is transported to our waterways is through the storm drain system during rain events. 

If you see an unlawful discharge or dumping on our creeks, please report. Visit https://www.streetstocreeks.org/spill-numbers for more information. 

Types of Trash

According to the California Coastal Cleanup, an annual statewide cleanup event, data collected from 1988 through 2023 show the top 10 most common types of trash found in beaches, rivers, and creeks are:

  1. Cigarettes/Cigarette butts (35.34%)

  2. Single-use food wrappers/containers (10.9%)

  3. Bottle caps/lids (9.28%)

  4. Plastic/Paper bags (7.25%)

  5. Cups/Plates/Utensils (5.34%)

  6. Straws (4.04%)

  7. Glass bottles (3.15%)

  8. Plastic bottles (2.77%)

  9. Cans (2.41%)

  10. Construction materials (1.71%)

In 2024, 46,201 volunteers joined for Coastal Cleanup Day and removed 398,654 pounds of trash from beaches, rivers, and creeks!

Microplastics

Microplastics have recently been identified as a major pollutant in our waterway. As plastics break down, they do not disappear, but rather become smaller pieces that are extremely difficult to remove from our environment. These plastics can be ingested by humans and other organisms, causing a bioaccumulation of toxins in the body over time.

When microplastics continue to breakdown they become nanoplastics. For reference, these plastics particles are about the size of a virus microbe and can only be seen through a high magnification microscope. These nanoplastics are easily ingested and inhaled by humans and animals and can accumulate in cells, disrupting their ability to function properly and cause inflammatory reactions. Due to their microscopic size, it has been difficult  for science to fully understand or study the impacts on nanoplastics on human and animal health

The Bigger Picture: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Large systems of ocean currents where warm and cold water meet create a natural vortex in the Pacific ocean. This naturally occurring vortex creates a large, passive area of ocean surrounded by swift moving currents. As plastics make their way to the ocean through our storm drain system, they become trapped, creating what is now referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. People think of this patch as a large floating island of trash however it is primarily broken-down plastics. Plastics in the ocean photodegrade into microplastics creating a large, soupy mixture of irretrievable trash intermixed with larger items. Some stay on the surface and other plastics fall through the water column or down to the ocean floor. Because of this, it is virtually impossible to accurately determine just how much plastic is really in the Pacific Garbage Patch. 

Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for their favorite food, jelly fish, and ingest plastics which get caught in their intestines. Sea birds mistake plastic pellets for fish eggs and feed them to their chicks which can rupture their organs and cause death. Microplastics create a cloudy water which shades out algae and plankton communities, which are a vital food source for large marine animals.

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