Community Corner

Marin Coastal Cleanup Unearths Cremated Remains

Thousands of volunteers combed California's coast over the weekend, collecting more than 67 tons of trash and recyclable materials.

Volunteers gather around the bags of trash they picked up at Lodi Lake during Coastal Cleanup Day in San Joaquin County on Sept. 23, 2023.
Volunteers gather around the bags of trash they picked up at Lodi Lake during Coastal Cleanup Day in San Joaquin County on Sept. 23, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A volunteer in Marin County participating in the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day found a card associated with the cremated remains of someone from North Carolina, the California Coastal Commission said Saturday.

The volunteer's discovery was judged one of the cleanup day's most unusual items and earned a $100 prize, the coastal commission said in a statement.

Organizers speculated that the card was a result of someone's wish for their ashes to be spread off the California coast.

Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thousands of volunteers combed California's coast and inland shoreline collecting more than 67 tons of trash and recyclable materials, the coastal commission said.

With half of the 700 cleanup sites reporting, the statewide volunteer turnout stood at 25,570, according to the commission.

Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another winner of the most unusual items contest was a volunteer in Yolo County who found a 5.25-inch floppy disk.

None of the young people at the cleanup could identify what it was, the coastal commission said.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.