(CNN) — When beaches in Cocoa Beach reopened last weekend, people flocked to the sand — and the trash came with them.
While a lot of visitors did the right thing and disposed of their trash in cans, others left their items strewn on the beach, according to Keep Brevard Beautiful.
The Florida-based non-profit said it’s seen an influx of trash since the city’s beaches reopened the first weekend in May.
“People will come from out of town and leave an umbrella, a tent or chairs because it’s a onetime use,” Bryan Bobbitt, Keep Brevard Beautiful executive director, told CNN. “Chip bags, plastic straw wrappers and anything can get blown into the dunes.”
Two weekends ago, teams collected 297 bags of trash — at 40 pounds a bag, that’s almost 12,000 pounds, Bobbitt said. He estimates the weight was higher, as tent poles, beach chairs and other heavy items were left on beaches.