Volunteers who set out to “Keep Tahoe, Red, White & Blue” the morning after Fourth of July festivities were surprised to collect less than a quarter of the trash than they had last year, nearly 2,000 pounds.
Spread around a half-dozen beaches on Lake Tahoe shores for the 11th year of Keep Tahoe Blue’s annual cleanup, volunteers immediately noticed much less trash than in previous years, showing signs of success for a beach management pilot program, Tahoe Blue Beaches, league organizers said in a news release.
For its pilot Tahoe Blue Beaches program at Zephyr Cove and Shoals, Aramark Destinations implemented changes like an alcohol ban, temporary fencing, added trash receptacles, extra staffing and portable restrooms to prevent another disastrous fourth — last year volunteers picked up 6,300 pounds of litter and images of the beach blanketed in trash went viral.