Small pieces of plastic that have washed up on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach are troubling residents, many of whom are worried about the long-term ecological effects of having so much debris on the shores.
Representatives from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area spoke to NBC Bay Area about the mysterious debris, which includes plastic and Styrofoam pellets, and said the organization has received a noticeable uptick in calls from concerned visitors at the beach.
Steven Bellenger, who noticed the debris after this week’s storms, is one of the concerned callers.
“It was quite disturbing, because the pieces are small for the most part,” he said. “You know, there’s recognizable combs and pens and thinks like that, but you have shards of plastic and every little white spot you see here is either plastic or Styrofoam. And that is the devastation.”
In response to the complaints, the Golden Gate recreation area conducted some minor clean up, but representatives are also puzzled about the debris washing ashore. The organization has received reports of similar debris at other beaches in the area but is still unsure of the cause.
A representative told NBC Bay Area that cargo containers are unlikely to be the culprit.
