Nearly 500 gather up 1,458 pounds of trash from Lake Tahoe beaches

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 499 volunteers hit the beaches of Lake Tahoe Thursday as part of the annual July 5 Beach Cleanup crew. Each year, volunteers hit the beaches to pick up trash left over by holiday revelers.

This year they removed 1,458 pounds of litter from five beaches: Commons Beach in Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Kiva Beach, Nevada Beach and Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe. Not only did they comb the six miles of beach, but they also sorted and counted the items collected.

The cleanup, sponsored by the League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue), keeps trash out of the lake. As normal, single-use plastics were the most commonly-found trash item, including 8,061 cigarette butts and 18,235 pieces of plastic, which includes cups, lids, bottle caps and food wrappers. Most plastics do not biodegrade, but instead break down into smaller pieces that may release toxics or be eaten by wildlife.

“The fact that so many people devoted part of their day to help Keep Tahoe Blue says a lot about their love for this place,” said Marilee Movius, the League’s community engagement manager. “We’re grateful to the hundreds of visitors and community members who gave their time to take care of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline.”

“While it’s discouraging to see so much litter on the shoreline, the data our volunteers have gathered are helping to drive advocacy for solutions to the environmental challenges at Tahoe,” said Jesse Patterson, the League’s chief strategy officer.

Earlier this year, the City of South Lake Tahoe adopted a ban on most single-use products made of polystyrene. Between 2015 and 2017, volunteers removed over 5,000 pieces of disposable expanded polystyrene products—including coolers, plates and clamshell containers—and 4,500 plastic straws and utensils from Lake Tahoe’s shoreline.

The city relied on the League’s data in crafting its ordinance, which takes effect in October. The League supports the city’s vision for a prohibition on disposable polystyrene products being enacted throughout the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. Many forward-thinking Tahoe businesses have already made the switch to greener products, including members of the League’s Blue Business program.

"The League is grateful to our partnering land managers, who do a great job maintaining these areas and need help with the high impact during the holidays," said Chris Carney of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "These include California Land Management, California State Parks, the City of South Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe City Public Utility District, and the United States Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Our cleanups are made possible by the support of our cleanup site sponsors, local Tahoe businesses: Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar-California, Montbleu Resort and Casino, RnR Vacation Rentals, and Tahoe City Kayak. Cleanup equipment donations from Clean Tahoe Program, Evolution Bags, Montbleu Resort and Casino and South Tahoe Refuse."