In amongst nearly 75 pounds of garbage picked up by the 21st South Surrey Scouts during Saturday’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup – a collection which included paper bags, cigarette butts and a dozen discarded crab traps – was one thing worth keeping.
At the western edge of White Rock’s West Beach, a Beavers leader discovered, buried under some debris, a vintage scouting pin from the 1950s.
“It was rusted underneath, but you could still tell what it was – it was very neat,” said Heather Pulfer, a member of the 21st South Surrey Scout committee. “It’s a keeper.”
But while the pin was the highlight of the day for the scouts – who were joined by another group on West Beach, and Clover Ridge District Girl Guides on East Beach – they found plenty of trash, as well.
According to Pulfer, the scouts collected 46 paper bags, 28 plastic bags, more than 60 beverage containers of varying shapes and sizes, 61 utensils and plates, five toys, rope and 353 cigarette butts.
“It was amazing – the kids really did a great job,” she said.
“Just incredible.”
The Girl Guides’ Jennifer Yaremchuk said her group of 49 girls and 16 adults collected 178 lbs of garbage and recycling.
Pulfer said she was dismayed on Sunday evening – just one day after the cleanup effort – to see the beach littered again with trash.
“We went for a walk on the beach Sunday, and there were a whole bunch of people smoking, and leaving their cigarette butts behind,” she said.
-with files from Nick Greenizan