Big clean up at Santa Cruz beaches after 4th of July

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KGO) -- One of the biggest problems the day after the Fourth of July is the clean-up of garbage and fireworks. That's why an army of volunteers is hard at work in Santa Cruz.

Close to 50 volunteers are at Seabright helping to clean up the beach. Call it the 4th of July after party. It's not glamorous, but necessary after some busy days at the beach.

Save Our Shores runs the Star Spangled Holiday Clean Up. Last year they had 252 volunteers, collecting almost 2,500 pounds of trash on Santa Cruz beaches. This year, the Fourth of July landed on a Tuesday, so the hope is there is less trash left behind.

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"I think If it was on a Saturday you'd find a lot more but you'd be surprised at what you find on any given day," said Marisa Gomez, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Illegal fireworks are usually a problem on the beach, but this year it didn't seem to be as big of an issue along the shore.

Santa Cruz police threatened people with big fines if caught, totaling more than $1,300 with court fees. But of course, that didn't stop everyone. Santa Cruz police hasn't released details on how many citations they're giving out.

As for the beach cleanup, the next big one will be after Labor Day weekend.

Click here for more details on how to help.

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