This Saturday, a South Beach resident found a 1,500 pound pile of trash dumped on the beach south of Newport. The debris included hazardous chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine.
Charlie Plybon was taking a walk on the beach near his home when he came across what looked like a pile of wood and pallets. On closer inspection, he found 2 dozen black bags of trash under partially burned debris. Plybon is Oregon Policy Manager for Surfrider Foundation. He says among the household garbage he found bleach, butane, lye and other chemicals associated with cooking meth.
“Toxic waste on our beaches is not something I’m willing to put up with and I don’t believe that Oregonians should have to put up with.”
Plybon says he’d like to see more barriers to beach access for vehicles since it was clear the trash didn’t get walked onto the beach. Making meth is a crime and dumping garbage is a misdemeanor under Oregon law. Plybon says making it a felony might be more of a detraction for dumpers.
Plybon says he wanted to get the trash off the beach before high tide Saturday. He contacted the State Department of Parks and Recreation who came out with a pickup truck. Plybon also had help from neighbors in the cleanup efforts.
Surfrideris holding beach cleanups next Saturday:
Surfrider Newport Beach Cleanup, Feb 15th at 11 am - Agate Beach Wayside
Surfrider Coos Bay Beach Cleanup, Feb 15th at 11 am - Bastendorff Beach
Surfrider North Coast Cleanup, Feb 15th at 11 am - Laneda Ave in Manzanita
Surfrider Portland Cleanup, Feb 15th at 10:30 am - Cosube 111 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
