PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Volunteers for the annual Oregon beach cleanup hauled off 71 tons of trash over the weekend as the effort expanded to rivers for the first time.
The Oregonian reports the 26th annual cleanup held Saturday also collected about 29 tons of invasive plants from watershed restoration projects.
The cleanup is organized by SOLV, a nonprofit group based in Hillsboro that was founded by former Gov. Tom McCall.
SOLV officials said the cleanup expanded this year as a response to the Ocean Conservancy’s recent estimates that up to 80 percent of marine litter starts on land.
