The garbage comes from a variety of sources. 90% of people are respectful of the ever-shrinking and always precious environment, but because we are so many (especially in the northeast), the other 10% can cause enormous problems. They fall into several categories. Most people who walk the beach do so precisely because they value its poetry, peace and beauty,and are unlikely to bring with them a lot of trash. However, despite what the Albrights wrote (see the right-hand side of this blog), most beach users do not walk it. Either they camp/fish (sometimes overnight) or they drive it. These 2 categories account for most of the trash: the endless beer bottles, fast-food items, fishing gear, diapers and worse. I emphasize that the great majority do not trash the beach, but because of Town-provided access (either by foot or by vehicle), there is heavy usage, and inevitably abuse. In particular, the Town has provided access but absolutely no supervision, or attempts to mitigate the problems. If teenagers want to party or light fireworks, that's where they go, because there is no police supervision. It's the wild west down there. People think there's no-one around (especially no cops), and it's true there are relatively few homes, and even those are concealed by the high bluffs. But this sense of isolation, which attracts the worst elements of our society, is precisely what makes the beach so beautiful and peaceful, as the Albrights realized. Anyway, here's today's garbage, bagged and some of it photographed.
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