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Old masks, plastic bottles, takeout containers, paint cans, rubber boots, snack wrappers and even a teddy bear were among the nearly 2,900 pounds of trash that were removed from the San Francisquito Creek during this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day event. On Saturday, Sept. 21, over 150 volunteers gathered at the end of Alma Street in Menlo Park for the three-hour cleanup event.
Environmental nonprofit Grassroots Ecology hosted the event in partnership with the city of Menlo Park. 2024 marks the 10th year that the city of Menlo Park has participated in Coastal Cleanup Day events, and the 40th anniversary of Coastal Cleanup Day in California.
Coastal Cleanup Day is an annual community event that brings people together to remove trash from local beaches, rivers, creeks, lakes and watersheds.
Volunteers walked along an approximately mile-long stretch of the creek that forms the border between Menlo Park and Palo Alto armed with gloves, trash bags, trash grabbers, shovels, sturdy shoes and rope to haul large items up the creek’s banks.
In addition to small household waste, volunteers removed several large items from the creek, such as shopping carts, furniture and bicycles.
Grassroots Ecology Ecologist Shelley Pneh said that some of the most interesting items removed from the creek were a lounge chair, an LG flip phone, a very large flower pot and a Guitar Hero guitar.
“I am always amazed by the turnout and how many people are enthusiastic about coming to their local wild spaces and helping clean up the environment,” said Pneh.
Statewide, Coastal Cleanup Day events drew nearly 29,000 volunteers, who picked up 242,312 pounds of trash and 12,461 pounds of recyclable materials, according to a press release from the California Coastal Commission.
The Coastal Commission reported that approximately 75% of the garbage collected by volunteers each year is plastic.
According to Brian Henry, Menlo Park’s assistant public works director, trash is a persistent issue in the areas of the creek with easy access down the banks.
Henry said that illegal dumping of household items in the creek is also an issue, because it is hard to remove big bulky items without creative rigging and teamwork. Additionally, the creek forms the border of three cities — Menlo Park, Palo Alto and East Palo Alto — as well as the border between San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, so illegal dumping reports are sometimes not addressed due to jurisdiction confusion.
Henry said that Menlo Park will also be performing tree maintenance in and around the creek later this month to remove fallen trees that may impede the flow of water during the rainy winter season.
