Volunteers Clean Up Elliot Bay Waterfront

Among the pieces of trash fished out of Elliot Bay Saturday was a campaign sign touting measures to keep streams pristine.

As part of the final event in the summer’s “Don’t Splash Your Trash” water cleanup campaign by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, about two dozen people paddled under Seattle’s piers cleaning up the waterfront. That’s where the sign was found.

It was part of 50 tons of trash collected this summer. Some 300 tons have been taken from the bay in each May-through-October season since 1992.

This is the first year the cleanup program has been open to everyone, in addition to business and environmental groups.

After the debris is collected, it is sorted. The Army Corps of Engineers takes logs and pilings while Seattle Disposal Co. takes smaller debris such as plastic and paper for recycling or for disposal in dumps.