Galveston County

Galveston Fourth of July: 49,800 Pounds of Trash

Nearly 188,000 cars converged on Galveston Island on the Fourth of July and city officials who traditionally estimate 2.5 people were in each of those vehicles means the population swelled by almost a half-million folks.

They left behind a mountain of trash.

A 35-person cleanup crew from the Galveston Park Board of Trustees hit the beaches Wednesday beginning at 3 a.m. and when they were finished they'd collected 49,800 pounds of garbage -- nearly 25 tons. On the average day, the cleaning crew picks up 3,400 pounds.

Park board spokeswoman Mary Beth Basset tells The Galveston County Daily News the cleanup people are "truly the unsung heroes" of the community.

For the entire five-day holiday weekend starting Friday, the city counted 780,000 vehicles coming into Galveston.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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