More than 3,400 pounds of litter removed from Lake Tahoe

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (KOLO) - More than 300 volunteers removed 3,450 pounds of litter from Lake Tahoe during the annual July 5 Cleanup, the League to Save Lake Tahoe reported.

Starting in 2014, volunteers have cleaned up the beaches around Lake Tahoe and tabulated what they cleaned up.

This year volunteers picked up 2,500 cigarette butts and 4,260 bits of plastic. The League reported that is part of a trend away from large heavy trash like coolers, lawn chairs and floaties towards smaller items.

The cleanups expanded to diving under the water. Clean Up The Lake’s team of divers removed 468 pounds of garbage from the Nevada Beach area in 2021, part of its cleanup around the lake. This year they found only 46 pounds.

A beach-cleaning robot called BEBOT assisted with the cleanup.

At Zephyr Shoals, one of the League’s Tahoe Blue Crews found the beach blanketed in trash. Eight volunteers gathered more 2,700 pounds of cans, shoes, towels, beach chairs and other assorted waste.

“It’s great to see that Clean Up The Lake’s work underwater and Keep Tahoe Blue’s work on land is making it harder and harder for litter to enter the lake,” said Zac Smith, communication and outreach coordinator from Clean Up The Lake. “The impact is not just removing the trash that shouldn’t be there; it’s about driving awareness that we all can and must prevent litter before it gets into Lake Tahoe.”

This year’s partners were Northstar California Resort, California State Parks, Heavenly Mountain Resort, USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, City of South Lake Tahoe, Bally’s Lake Tahoe Casino Resort, and California Land Management.