S.J. Coastal Cleanup volunteers collect 76,677 pounds of garbage

STOCKTON — Among the more unusual pieces of junk to be hauled from the Calaveras River during a daylong cleanup effort late last month was a giant piece of a children’s playhouse.

Weighing nearly 80 pounds and made of lumber, site captain Dick Abood said the piece of garbage had to be dragged out of the water. Then there was the seemingly endless sight of discarded candy wrappers and toys that volunteers spent the morning of Sept. 21 cleaning.

Where the side of a playhouse came from remains a mystery, 70-yearold Abood said.

“How it got there I have no idea,” he said.

Abood was one of nearly 800 volunteers that took part in the 2019 Coastal Cleanup Day organized by San Joaquin County Public Works that cleared trash and other debris from rivers and streams along the Delta and at homeless camps.

Organizers said there were 200 more people volunteering than last year, who collected an estimated 76,677 pounds of garbage.

Fifteen boats were used in the cleanup that ventured across 45 total miles.

In Smith Canal alone, officials said 32 tons of debris were recovered, including 300 shopping carts, sunken boats, furniture and other various trash.

“It didn’t matter if you were young or old, homeowner or homeless, individuals from all walks of life stepped in to do their part to clean San Joaquin as part of this statewide volunteer waste-removal effort,” San Joaquin County Public Works Director Kris Balaji said in a statement.

“Our hats are off to all the residents, parents, students, church members, business leaders and corporate sponsors who stepped in to serve as site coordinators and garbage collectors or offered their services and equipment or generous donations to this worthy cause.”

Abood is no stranger to the cleanup day, since he has taken part the past five years. At a site that overlooked University of the Pacific, he noticed more garbage this year than in the past.